


Bloodlust

by MidoriFlowersEwe



Category: Assassination Classroom
Genre: Asano and Karma are rivals, Cheesy romance, Conspiracy Theories, Gakushuu is sort of the wildcard, Good vs Evil, Gradually gets darker each chapter, Human Experiments, Karma always trying to be slick, Karma is a Vampire, Karma is a bit of a creep, Lots of blood drinking, M/M, Mystery, Nagisa is a hunter, murder attempts, star-crossed lovers, teenage love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-27
Updated: 2018-08-25
Packaged: 2018-10-11 18:23:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 70,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10471221
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MidoriFlowersEwe/pseuds/MidoriFlowersEwe
Summary: Nagisa is a vampire hunter who finds himself falling prey to his target, Karma. What happens when these two natural enemies find themselves inexplicably drawn to one another? Together they attempt to uncover the mystery of why exactly E class students go missing every year, and what the Chairman is hiding in the academy basement.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> (Originally published June 2015, so writing isn't great)

Nagisa Shiota walked down the dark cobbled road, the flickering street-lamp the only source of slight. He kept his silver knife clutched tight in his hand, hidden from view by his sleeve. He was a vampire hunter, and his target was nearby; The red devil, they called him. He'd suddenly appeared in the tiny mountain village of Kunugigaoka and had been terrorizing the town ever since- He hadn't actually killed anyone, but the red devil had been causing trouble in other was. Either way, there was a £4000 bounty on his head that Nagisa intended to collect.  
Suddenly, Nagisa saw a flash of red in the corner of his eye from the broken window of one of the deserted, desolate old buildings that lined the street.  
That was him. He knew it. And it was almost dawn, the perfect time to strike.  
Nagisa crept into the old abandoned house, pushing open the door that pierced the silence with a loud creak.  
Slowly, he made his way up the stairs, being careful not to make a noise. He knew the vampire would be stronger than him, so the only option was to take him by surprise.  
Following the sound of footsteps that he knew must belong to the vampire, Nagisa made his way to the old wooden door on the left.  
He took a deep breath.  
This was it. If he managed to kill this vampire then maybe, maybe people would stop thinking he was weak and useless, and maybe he mother would finally recognise him as his own person.  
It was time- A silently and as swiftly as a bullet flying through the air, Nagisa dived into the room, his knife held firmly in his hands, aiming straight for the vampire's neck.  
The Vampire was sat on the floor, facing away from Nagisa, even in this light it was clear his hair was blood red.  
Just before the blue-haired boy went in for the killing strike, the vampire turned around, his sly mercury eyes met Nagisa's sky blue orbs.  
He could of killed him. If he hadn't hesitated, Nagisa could of ended that vampire's life right then and there. But there was something about those eyes that made him stop for just a fraction of a second, and that was all the vampire needed.  
The next thing Nagisa knew, the vampire had grabbed his wrists in a vice-like grip, and pinned him against the wall.  
"So, did the little hunter come here to vanquish the big bad vampire?" The red devil asked, leaning closer to Nagisa, mischief dancing in his mercury eyes. He was a head taller than the hunter, and towered over him. Nagisa tried in vain to escape from his grip but the vampire was impossibly strong.  
"If your going to kill me, red devil, then just get it over with." Nagisa said, bowing his head in defeat. He was an idiot for ever thinking he could defeat a vampire. Just like his mother always told him, he was a failure.  
"Kill you!" The Vampire said, sounding amused. He gripped Nagisa's chin, tilting his head up, forcing the Hunter to meet his eyes. Even with only one hand keeping his hand pinned to the wall, Nagisa still could not escape.  
"Why would I do that? That doesn't sound link any fun. Oh- and my name's Karma, by the way, Karma Akabane."  
"So- What, are you going to do to me?" Nagisa asked, his voice sounding a lot calmer than he felt. In truth, part of him felt he was such a failure he almost deserved to die here.  
"Hmm? I'm going to have some fun, of course." Karma said, a playful smirk on his face like a mischievous child.  
Without warning, he leaned closer and licked the side of Nagisa's neck. The Hunter let out a cry of shock.  
"W- What are you?-"  
"Heh, what a cute reaction." Karma teased, leaning even closer to Nagisa, his sharp fangs grazing the nape of the younger male's neck. Nagisa felt a sudden shiver run through him at the sudden contact. He was torn between wanting to run away, and inexplicably wanting more.  
"If your going to drink my blood, just hurry up and do it!" The blue haired boy gasped out. Karma snickered.  
"Oh, so your offering yourself to me? Well now, I can hardly refuse, can I?" He taunted, he released Nagisa's chin from his grip, and used his free hand to tilt Nagisa's head to the side, further exposing his neck.  
"But first- I was wondering. What's your name, little hunter?"  
Nagisa gritted his teeth- dammit, the Vampire was crazy strong, and was even taunting him too! Why didn't he kill him when he had the chance? Why did he feel so ..drawn.. to Karma?  
"Nagisa." He said finally after a pause. He decided there was no reason to lie.  
"It's nice to meet you, Nagisa!" Karma said, a lazy arrogant smile on his face, as if they were meeting under normal circumstances, not in a life or death situation. "Now if you don't mind, I'm going to drink your blood. You smell too tasty to resist."  
Nagisa didn't even have time to be scared, before Karma had sunk his fangs into the hunter's neck. It stung for a moment, then it felt almost... Pleasurable? It was a strange feeling.  
Focus, Damn it!  
'I'm not going down without a fight' Nagisa decided. He surveyed his situation; Both his arms were pinned to the wall, and his only weapon, his knife, was on the floor by his feet were Karma had knocked it out of his hand. It was risky, but he ha to try something; Ignoring the strange sensation of having his blood sucked, Nagisa kicked the hilt of the knife carefully into the air with the tip of his foot.  
Using the momentum from the kick, Nagisa knocked the hilt of the knife once again with his ankle, and lodged the blade into the back of the vampire's leg.  
Karma let out a cry of pain, stumbling back for a moment, taking the opportunity, Nagisa broke from his grasp, and fled the room breathing heavily, the bite-marks on his neck bleeding freely.  
Karma watched him go- It was almost dawn, he couldn't chase him. "Impressive." He mused, with a smirk that was half amused half deadly. He pulled the knife out of his leg- it hurt like a bitch, but would only take a vampire a night to heal. "Your the first person to ever best me, Nagisa Shiota. We should see more of each other!"


	2. Reunion

It had been two nights since Nagisa's run-in with Karma, and the red-devil still hadn't been caught, not even by the villages best hunters.  
The blue-haired boy hadn't told anyone about having his blood drank (especially not his mother, she would loose it!), but for some reason he couldn't escape the memory of Karma. Even in his dreams, those mercury eyes still haunted him.  
Nagisa left the hunter academy feeling exhausted- it had been another difficult day. The village of Kunugigaoka had a policy that children had to attend the academy to learn how to kill vampires from the age of eleven; Since hiring out contractors to go and hunt vampires and other supernatural nuisance was the town's main way of making money.

The lessons focused on brute strength and academic knowledge on the supernatural. Nagisa wasn't strong or smart, so he failed miserably at both. He was probably going to be thrown in E-class next year.  
They were the lowest of the low- the hunters without any skill. They were usually treated as slaves or cannon fodder. Or worse. A lot of them just went missing unexplainably.  
Tiredly, Nagisa walked down the street towards home, not even noticing that the road was no longer-bathed in the orange light of the sun-set, and that it was already dark.

"Hey there Nagisa, what's up?" A voice called. The blue haired boy recognised it instantly and whipped around, pulling up his hands in a defensive position.  
"No need to be so uptight!" Karma laughed, showing of his sharp fangs; The vampire was perched on the window ledge of one of the many desolate houses. He pulled out a familiar silver knife. "You had to go so quickly that you left this behind- lodged into my leg, actually. That was quite clumsy of you!"

Nagisa gasped; His knife! The one he'd used to stab Karma with then make his escape. He expected the vampire to try to stab him with it, but instead he tossed him the knife and Nagisa caught it in midair.

"Nice reflexes, I'm impressed." Karma said with a playful smile.

"What do you want, red devil?" Nagisa asked- this whole situation was too weird. The vampire that was terrorizing the town, the stuff of nightmares, was acting all nonchalant like they were two old friends out shopping.

"Red Devil? That hurts. I thought I told you my name's Karma." The vampire said, a dark look crossing his face. He hopped down from the ledge he was perched on, and all of a sudden was right in front of Nagisa's face. Their eyes met, and there was an almost tangible spark of electricity. "You can thank me for giving you back your knife by offering your blood to me now~"

Nagisa stepped back quickly on instinct and drew his knife, but Karma just laughed.  
"Hehe- No need to be so frightened I was joking. Your seriously adorable!" The Vampire said. "I wont drink your blood so soon after I already had a taste- I don't want to make you sick."  
"

Thank you for your concern." Nagisa said sarcastically, his expression suddenly blank. He could tell the vampire wanted to mess with him.

"Your welcome." Karma said, suddenly he reached out and ripped of the band aid on Nagisa's neck, making the smaller boy flinch.

"I thought you said you weren't- " Nagisa protested, but Karma cut him of by leaning forward and licking his neck.

"You left so suddenly last time you didn't give me a chance to heal you." Karma said, his fangs grazed over Nagisa's neck but didn't break the skin. "Damn.. You really are hard to resist."  
Nagisa tried to ignore the way Karma's words made him feel and the sudden rush of heat in his neck even after Karma's touch had left.  
Even without his hands restrained he hadn't even tried to stab the vampire. Why? Was is because Karma was being nice to him?

The Vampire jumped away from Nagisa suddenly, licking his lips. "There! All fixed."

Tentatively, Nagisa lifted his fingers to the puncture wound Karma had left last time. The rough damaged skin was gone, and smooth healthy skin had taken it's place.

"How did you do that?" Nagisa asked seriously impressed despite himself.

"What? They don't teach you about the healing properties of vampire saliva at hunter school?" Karma smirked, looking quite proud with himself. "Come on- I'll take you for something to eat!"

"What?" Nagisa deadpanned- did he hear that right?

"Don't worry, no blood- just human food. You provided me with a meal so it's only fair that I do the same, right?" Karma said, as if a predator asking it's prey out for dinner was common sense. "I know a pretty cool place not far from here. And nobody recognises that I'm a wanted man as long as I cover my hair with a hat!"

"You can't be serious!" The blue haired boy cried, Karma laughed.

"Do they not teach you manners either at hunter school, you seem to have problems recognizing basic politeness." Karma said playfully.

"Do you always wine and dine your prey after drinking their blood?" Nagisa asked, raising an eyebrow. For some reason, he wasn't scared of Karma anymore. Well.. At least not as much as before.

"Nope, your just that lucky!" Karma smiled, then his expression suddenly turned serious. "Besides.. You feel it too, right?"  
Nagisa looked at him questioningly.

 

For some reason I feel a weird connection to you." Karma admitted. He wasn't teasing anymore. "-When I look into your eyes, when I drank your blood. And that trick you pulled with the knife the other night was impressive. I want to get to know you!"

The smaller boy stared at him, dumbfounded. It was at this point any normal sane person would turn tail and run away, warn the guards the red devil was near. But deep down, Nagisa knew Karma was right- there was a connection. Telling himself he was doing this so he could observe Karma for tactics he could better use to kill him, Nagisa nodded.  
"Fine. I'll go for a meal with you," He said, keeping his voice calm and even.  
"Great! Follow me!" Karma said, taking Nagisa's hand suddenly and pulling him down the street towards the restaurant.

Just what the hell am I doing?  
\-------------

Asano Gakushu walked into his father, the Chairman of the local hunter's academy's office.  
There was always something so cold and impersonal about the room; It was dark and bare besides his grand oak desk, and various awards and trophies dotted about the place.  
"Have you slain the red devil yet?" The Chairman asked, before Gakushu had time to speak a word- the boy had been charged with bringing down the town's newest terror, Gakushu had a impeccable record when it came to bringing down his targets, but this one vampire seemed to elude him completely.  
"Unfortunately sir, no." Gakushu said, his violet eyes fixed ahead at his father.  
"Then I fail to see why your even here." The Chairman said dismissively. "I require results young man, another status report about your continued failure is useless to me."  
Gakushu gritted his teeth- his father always knew just how to get under his skin. He just wanted to finally slaughter that damn red vampire to shut his father up!  
"This isn't about the red devil." The strawberry blonde said. "There's news of a different threat- something more sinister is coming this way."  
"I didn't realise you were naive enough to listen to the hearsay of fools." The Chairman taunted.  
Gakushu smirked.  
"It's more than just rumours, sir, a Village a few miles from here was completely devastated. They say he's the one behind the destruction of the moon." The boy said, sounding strangely gleeful as he talked about destruction. "A demon with speed faster than the eye can see, and acid yellow appendages. If that were to come here not even you would be able to stop it."  
"Oh, you doubt me? Need me to remind you of my power again?" The Chairman said, a sinister look in his violet eyes despite his smile.  
"..That wont be necessary." Gakushu said quickly.  
"I thought so." His father replied. "Well, you let me take care of this yellow demon rumour, and you just focus on your current mission."  
Gakushu nodded stiffly, and turned to leave, when the chairman spoke again.  
"Oh, Asano- if you haven't killed the red devil by the next time I see you, there'll be consequences."


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (I really need to proof-read this)

"Sushi? I was never really a fan of that even back when I ate human food." Karma commented, as Nagisa ordered his meal. The blue haired boy looked back at him.

"You used to be human?" Nagisa asked, keeping his voice hushed for fear someone would overhear; He felt like he was being far more concerned over being covert than the fugitive himself was being.

"Nah, not exactly. I wasn't turned. I was born into a vampire family, but my powers and bloodlust didn't awaken till I was six. It's the same for all vampires." Karma explained nonchalantly, leaning back in his chair.  
This had to be one of the most surreal situations that Nagisa had ever been in; Being treated to dinner by the vampire that drank his blood nights earlier. He definitely hadn't learned how to deal with this sort of situation at the Hunter's academy.  
But the strangest thing had to be how normal it felt; despite the undercurrent of danger, Nagisa couldn't help but feel that they were just two friends talking, sat in a otherwise empty caffe.

"So you have a family? A vampire family?" Nagisa asked, never taking his eyes of Karma. He still had to be on his guard.

"Course I do- hey, your trying to gather intel on me, aren't you, Nagisa?" The Red Devil said, an amused look in his eye. Nagisa shrugged- No point in lying.

"If it'll help me bring you down and take the bounty on your head!" He smiled, Karma just laughed.

"You still haven't given that up yet? Even after I bought you a meal?"  
Nagisa shot him a look.

"We're natural enemies, aren't we?"

"And who decided that? The bigwigs at the hunting society? You know, we don't have to live by their rules."  
Before Nagisa had a chance to think up a response, Karma suddenly stood up and grabbed Nagisa's wrist.

"W- What are you?" He cried out, but the vampire just pulled the hunter out of his chair to his feet.

"We have to get out of here. Now." Karma said, his expression darkening as he pulled Nagisa along to the door.

"Why? What's going on?" The blue haired boy asked, he scanned the Caffe quickly; It was deserted besides from them, he couldn't fathom what it was that had caused Karma's reaction.

"The owner must of recognised me or something- he tipped of the hunters. I can here them approaching. Let's just say vampire senses are crazy good." Karma said, as he pulled Nagisa with him out the door. Nagisa had never seen the vampire so worked up before, the red devil had always seemed permanently playful.  
Suddenly Karma pushed him to the floor, and basically crawled on top of him.

"What are you- "  
Nagisa was cut of, when suddenly a flaming arrow went flying over their heads, and crashed into the caffe the two had been eating in moments earlier.  
The window smashed, and shards of glass showered down from above them, Nagisa's eyes widened as Karma's body shielded him from it. He looked up to see the vampires face inches from his own, for some reason he couldn't explain the blue haired boy felt himself blush.

"Karma are you okay?" He asked without thinking.

"Aw, are you worried about me?"

"You said you wouldn't damage my property!" A adult male voice said,

"Heh- no sacrifice is too great when it comes to fighting vampires." Came the reply. Nagisa recognised it as Seo Tomoya; He was one of the top scoring hunter's at the academy, and probably the meanest bastard in there.

"Do you think we got him?" Araki Teppei asked. He was another top ranked hunter, almost as bad as Seo. Nagisa turned his head and saw both of them approaching, he felt his heart rate rise, and fear coursed through him; Even though he knew they were hunting vampires and not him, he also knew that they wouldn't hesitate to hurt him if he was in the way; he was just trash destined to end up in E class to them.

"Let's go- " Karma said, getting to his feet and pulling Nagisa to his just as quickly as he'd thrown him to the ground. He was grinning again. "I should really teach them a lesson about manners~"

"Karma, don't underestimate these guys they're some of the strongest in our academy. If you want to live I suggest running- " Nagisa said, quickly. He couldn't explain why, but he didn't want Karma to be killed by these guys. He told himself it was because he wanted to be the one to slay Karma.  
The red devil laughed. "Then your academy is even more pathetic than I thought it was." Karma replied that evil glint back in his eye. Nagisa could only watch as the vampire strolled forward towards the four elite hunters; Sakikabari Ren, Akari Teppei, Seo Tomoya and Kyoma. The four of them were part of the 'five virtuosos'. The top five hunters in the academy, it looked like their leader wasn't with them though.

"It's time to put you into the ground were you belong, red devil!" Tomoya Seo said, re-loading his bow with another flaming arrow.

"Ashes to Ashes, dust to dust!" Added Ren, pulling out his Katana.

"Wow- those are dangerous weapons for little kids to be playing with- " Karma taunted them, pulling out his own knife; It was tiny in comparison to the weapons the hunters were brandishing.

"You mightn't know this, bloodsucker, but we're the elite." Tomoya Seo said, taking aim.

"If your so good, why're you causing needless destruction- you know that arrow almost hit one of your fellow humans over there." Karma said, indicating to Nagisa who was stood still by the caffe, watching the scene unfold with wide eyes.

"Him? I know him; That's Nagisa's Shiota. He's one of the useless pieces of scum at our school." Seo Tomoya said, a cruel grin on his face. "He's so worthless that if he got hit while we were hunting a vampire it'd probably be the closest thing to making a contribution to society he'll ever make."  
The other four hunters laughed amongst themselves, Nagisa told himself that he didn't care what they said, because he'd already accepted that they were right.  
The hunter's didn't notice when Karma's expression darkened into something more sinister; He retained his grin, but the look in his eyes were pure malice.

"We'll see about that- "

"Die, vampire!" Seo bellowed; He let go of the string of his bow, and fired his arrow- the projectile went sailing towards Karma at an incredible speed, but somehow, the Vampire managed to not only dodge it, but slice it in half with his knife.

"Is that all you have? Pathetic!" Karma laughed, a mad look in his eye and a wild grin on his face.  
Nagisa knew Karma was strong, but he had no idea the vampire was this strong; He was treating the four elite hunters like children, the red devil was impossibly fast, the blue-haired boy watched with a shocked expression as Karma knocked their weapons out of their hands one by one. The hunter's couldn't even scratch him. The way he fought was incredible. Nagisa could only watch as the carnage unfolded.

"This is actually starting to get boring!" Karma yawned, as he knocked Kyoma to the floor with a kick. He was the last one; The other four hunter's were already left groaning on the floor, the fight was over at lightning speed. "Over so soon? That's a pity."

"A- are you going to drink our blood?" Ren asked wide-eyed. Karma shook his head.

"I appreciate the offer, but I can tell from here your blood would taste rotten." The Vampire said. He pulled something out the bag he always kept on his back.

"What is that!?" Kyoma cried. "Some kind of poison? You're going to kill us!"

"This? This is just some wasabi." Karma replied, kneeling in front of the beaten hunters. You could practically see the devil horns protruding from his head. "I hear it's quite a unique feeling if you put it up your nose."  
The look on their faces could only be described as pure horror as Karma knelt down besides Seo Tomoya. "I think I'll start with you, kay?" Karma said with a mischievous grin.  
'This guy has more wits and strength than any adult I know, but he has the temperament of a naughty child playing pranks' Nagisa thought, Karma wasn't the bloodthirsty monster that the town made him out to be, but he was certainly terrifying in his own way. The blue haired hunter walked over, intent on intervening, somehow, when suddenly Karma stood up.

"It looks like reinforcements are on their way." Karma said, turning to Nagisa and grinning. Nagisa couldn't here anyone approaching, but he didn't have vampire senses.

"I didn't manage to shove wasabi up all of their noses so will you finish it of for me?"

"There's no way I'm gonna do that." Nagisa dead-panned. Karma chuckled.

"See ya!" He melted away into the shadows like he was never there in the first place, seconds later a hoard of hunter's arrived.  
The sight that greeted them wasn't what they expected; The four of the best hunter's at the academy passed out on the floor.

"Did the red devil kill them?" One boy asked. A girl with black hair knelt down to check Ren's pulse "They're fine, just knocked out."

"Why is Seo's nose so red?"

Nagisa opted for walking away as the crowd got larger and larger. A strange feeling of hopelessness grew in the pit of his stomach; If Karma could beat four elite hunters so easily, what hope did a failure like Nagisa have of defeating him? The difference in power was just overwhelming, he recalled the feral look in Karma's eyes during the fight, the vampire really did seem like a beast in that moment.

"Were are they?"  
Asano Gakushu burst through the doors into the hospital room were Kyoma, Seo, Araki and Ren were sat.  
The hunter's injuries weren't all that bad at all, nothing permanent at least. The doctor had just confined them to their hospital beds to be cautious.  
Ren flinched when Asano stormed in; He knew that the other boy was going to be pissed.

"We're sorry!" The four of them said in unison. Asano folded his arms, and stood by the door, glaring with ice-cold violet eyes. He was wearing his hunting uniform, it still had blood stains on it- he must of just got back from hunting a vampire.

"What were you thinking? Confronting the red devil by yourselves. Didn't I tell you to inform me if he was sighted?" Asano hissed. His usual facade of politeness was stripped away and what was left was the monster underneath.

"But you were the other side of town!" Seo said, scowling. "Us four are elite hunters, so it makes sense that we should be able to- "  
Asano suddenly pulled out a dagger from his pocket, and held it inches from Seo's throat, shutting the other boy up instantly.

"Dead." Asano said, simply, his eyes dark and dangerous. "That's what you would of been if the red devil was an ordinary vampire. He would of drank your blood and killed you, understand?"  
Seo inched away from the knife. "Y- yes!"

Asano sheathed his blade and sighed, the anger disappearing from his face, and a look of disappointment replacing it. The others look relieved, but for Ren, disappointment was so much worse.

"Just don't do anything like this again. Your suppose to be the elites, you have the academy's dignity to uphold, and your own." Asano said. "Did anyone actually see the fight?"

"The only witness was some E-class trash, a little runt named Nagisa Shiota." Araki said, "He shouldn't be hard to shut up. He was hanging around the Vampire before we attacked for some reason. The red devil was probably planning on making him his next meal or something."

"..Really?" Asano said, he smirked, a devious look flashed in his eyes, he turned on his heel to leave. "Maybe I should speak to this Nagisa Shiota."  
Ren watched him go- just what was he plotting?


	4. Enemy

Eating lunch with Gakushu Asano was not something Nagisa ever expected to experience. The guy was the best hunter in the academy, had a hunting record more impressive than most veterans, and was the son of the Academy's director.  
When Asano had sought out Nagisa after class, acting all friendly and charismatic, the blue haired boy's friends were just as shocked as he was;

"Nagisa Shiota, right, is it okay if I call you Nagisa?" Asano had said, walking over as they left the academy. He was wearing the red armband that marked him as an elite.

"My name's Asano Gakushu, it's nice to meet you."  
As if there was anyone in this school who didn't know his name.

The taller boy stuck out his hand. His smile was polite, almost refreshing, but there was something about this boy Nagisa couldn't trust.

"R- right, nice to meet you. Nagisa is fine.." Nagisa said, taking his hand shyly, taken a back by the suddenness of it all. His friend Sugino gave him a confused look- Why would Asano be approaching someone like him? Nagisa also wished he knew.

"Actually I need to talk to you, would you care to join me for lunch?" Asano asked. What!? Nagisa's eyes widened. People were looking now, since Asano was the type of guy who drew people's attention. They were probably wondering the same thing; Why would the number 1 in the academy have any interest in a failure like Nagisa?

"Um.. Sure." Nagisa replied. He didn't really want to, but Asano wasn't the type of person you can just refuse.

"Excellent!" Asano said, never dropping his flawless facade of politeness. "Follow me then- "

So, that's how they ended up sat in a private booth eating together. Asano was making small talk, but Nagisa could feel the tension rise every second. He knew Asano wasn't doing this because he enjoyed his company, the hunter wanted something. Why was he dragging it out? To torture Nagisa even more? Asano was keeping his eyes on Nagisa the entire time, as if analysing him. The thought made the blue-haired boy uncomfortable.

"Do you not like the food- you've hardly touched it." Asano said, his violet eyes boring into Nagisa. Nagisa felt an involuntary shiver run through him.

"N-no it's just.. What did you want to talk about?" The blue haired boy chocked out, finally saying it. Asano cocked his head to the side.

"Can't I just be having a meal with my classmate? Why do I have to have some hidden agenda?" Gakushu laughed, then stopped suddenly. "Well, I'll get right to the point then; what is your relationship with the red devil?"

Nagisa was glad he wasn't eating anything, because if he was he would of chocked on it. "W- what do you mean?"

Asano leaned forward across the table. "When four of my fellow hunters found the red devil last night, he was with you. And according to them, he even verbally defended you." He said, hardly able to keep the smirk of his face. He went from charming to devious in two seconds flat . "You know, conspiring with a vampire is a very serious crime."

Nagisa felt ice cold dread run through his veins. Oh Lord. He was going to be arrested and executed, and all he did was let Karma buy him some sush!.  
Wait. Calm down. Assess the situation.

They may be in a private booth, but they were still in a public place. Asano surely wouldn't take him here if he really planned on arresting him (which Nagisa thought was messed up that Asano actually had the authority to do). No, the elite hunter must be attempting to intimidate Nagisa. To him, Nagisa was class E-trash, Asano probably didn't think he was really capable of conspiring with a vampire, he thought the blue haired boy was an idiot. Nagisa could use that.  
"It's true, I was speaking to the red devil before they came, but I didn't know he was a vampire. He just told me he was new to town." Nagisa said. Asano gave him a condescending grin.  
"You couldn't even recognise a vampire from a few meters away?" He said, his friendly persona was completely dropped now. "How incompetent are you? You know he's probably marked you as a target, if you want to live I'd be on your guard and not go out after bed time."  
He'd taken the bait. Nagisa resisted the urge to sigh in relief- Bad things happened to people suspected of conspiring against the system.

"Y-yes, thank-you, Asano." He said.

"Oh, and one more thing. I think it'd be best if you don't tell anyone the details of the fight between the red devil and the hunters. It's up to you to maintain the reputation of the school." The strawberry blonde said, smiling politely again, but there was a threat behind those violet eyes. Asano stood up and left a generous amount of money on the table. "That's enough to cover the bill. Now if you excuse me, some of us have places to be- "

Before he left, Asano leaned over the table, taking Nagisa by surprise. The smaller boy almost expected to be hit, but instead, Gakushu just ghosted his hand over Nagisa's neck, right above the place Karma had bit him. Nagisa could feel his heart-rate increase in fear- Asano knew!  
But he couldn't know! Karma had healed the mark!

"Be careful, Nagisa Shiota. Vampires are like cats; They love to play with their food before they eat it. They're masters of tormenting their prey." Asano said, with a knowing smirk. Then without another word, he turned and left.  
Nagisa really did allow himself to sigh in relief this time. If Asano wanted to intimidate him, he did an excellent job. That boy was terrifying. The blue-haired boy subconsciously rubbed his neck again. Asano couldn't know he'd been bitten, right? In this town, being bitten by a vampire stigmatised you for life; if it happened, people would see you as weak forever.  
Nagisa left without eating the overpriced soup he'd ordered, Asano's words echoed in his mind. Karma was just tormenting him before he decided to drink his blood dry for real.  
Of course he was, Karma just saw him as prey. It wasn't like Nagisa was even a threat to Karma, his fight with the four elites proved that.  
But why did Nagisa find himself being so bothered by that?

"Do you know how long it's been since I've seen sunlight?"  
Nagisa whipped around to see Karma standing directly behind him like it was the most normal thing in the world. The blue haired boy turned to face him and gasped- It was still dusk, the sun was 's hair shone a brilliant red when it was caught in the dim light of the sunset. Someone so vibrant looked out of place in the decrepit had been on his way home.

"How are you not- "

"- A flaming pile of ashes?" Karma finished for him. He pulled a chain around his neck, around it was a dark-blue stone flecked with gold. "Lapis Lazuli. It protects vampires against sunlight. I found this just lying around in a shop and I just had to take it. Don't worry I left the money."

"So now you can spread terror during the day, good for you." Nagisa said, eyeing the Lapis Lazuli necklace- if he could just rip it of Karma's neck he could-

Quick as a flash, Karma was once again behind Nagisa. He rested his head on the hunter's shoulder and wrapped his arms around the smaller boy's arms and torso, effectively trapping him.

"I can do other things during the day too." Karma whispered into Nagisa's ear, his red hair tickled Nagisa's neck. Karma made his heart race, but not in the way Asano's intimidation did. "Like maybe I could be the one who takes you for lunch now- "  
Nagisa froze- So Karma knew about that?

"That stuck-up 'elite' kid managed to treat you to dinner without getting attacked half way through, I was jealous." Karma chuckled. "But he did leave without you, which I thought was kinda rude."  
"Are you stalking me!" Nagisa accused, trying to make his voice sound calm, which isn't difficult when you have a vampire hanging of your back. He felt Karma shrug behind him.  
"Since everyone in this town wants to kill me, there's not much else to do, I can't hang out with anyone." Karma said. "Graffiti and pranks only take up so many hours."

"So find another town to torment!" Nagisa said, trying to reach for his knife, but his arms were still restrained.

"I'm not here just to write rude things on walls and publicly humiliate elite hunters, you know, I have a purpose." Karma laughed, still not loosening his grip on Nagisa.

"Then why are you here?" Nagisa asked, Asano's words circling his mind. He didn't want to just be prey for Karma to play with discard like a broken. "Are you here to torment me until your bored? Do you plan on passing your time using me until you decide I'm not worth it then you'll drink my blood and kill me?"  
He didn't sound angry, Nagisa's words just seemed empty and hopeless.

Suddenly, The vampire pushed him away, then span him around, putting his hands on Nagisa's shoulders so their faces were inches apart.  
Sky blue eyes stared into Mercury gold.

"So that's what you think I am?" Karma asked, his voice was low and more venomous than Nagisa had ever heard it before. He pulled the Hunter closer, speaking right into his ear. "If that's all this is, I might as well just dispose of you now, right?"  
Nagisa felt his breath catch. He didn't dare even breath. It seemed impossible to consider, but was Karma upset by his accusations? Why?  
When he didn't reply, Karma sank his teeth into Nagisa's familiar ache spread through his body. For one fleeting moment Nagisa felt completely connected to Karma.

"What do you expect me to think?" He gasped. Speaking while being drank from wasn't easy. "I'm a hunter and your a vampire. And we're leagues apart. I saw how you took down those elites- we don't even compare. What else could I be to you but a toy?"

At that, Karma pulled away. Nagisa's blood trailed from his mouth down his chin. He wiped it away on the back of his sleeve.

"Sorry." Karma said. His apology shocking Nagisa more than anything. "You think I'd be used to people seeing me as just a monster by now."

Nagisa didn't have a response to that. He held his hand to his neck, trying to staunch the bleeding, but Karma moved his hand away, and lent forward, running his tongue over the length of Nagisa's neck, healing the mark.  
He had never considered that Karma might have feelings outside bored, amused and angry. For the first time since they met, Nagisa saw the other boy as a person over a beast.  
Suddenly, Karma grinned.  
"Wait-by four elites do you mean those losers I beat up yesterday?" The Vampire asked, he laughed. "Those weren't elites, those were just weaklings."

"They're stronger than me.." Nagisa pouted. Karma grabbed his cheeks.

"Your cute when you pout- " The vampire teased.

"Eh?" Nagisa cried. How could the vampire go from moping to teasing so quick.

"You're better than them, anyway." Karma said. "They didn't even manage to get a scratch on me. You lodged a knife in my leg!"

Nagisa was silenced for a moment by his logic. "But at the academy they're higher performers."

"Doesn't matter." Karma said, letting go of his face. "It's the results that count."

Nagisa rubbed his cheeks, not able to stop himself from blushing.

"-For the record." Karma said, suddenly serious again. "I've never actually killed anybody, human or vampire."  
The blue haired boy didn't know why, but he trusted him. Maybe the red devil wasn't the monster everyone made him out to be. After all, he'd treated Nagisa with more respect than most humans he knew.  
But still..  
"Then what are you doing here then? Why would you come to the biggest vampire-hunter village in the country?" Nagisa asked, he narrowed his eyes. "You said you had a purpose."  
Karma paused and looked around- they were standing in a back-alley, it wasn't like anybody would be listening anyway.

"Because, this town. It's rotten." The vampire said, frowning. "People go missing here, they target vampires that haven't done anything wrong. There's something evil in the bowels of the academy. I can sense it."  
Nagisa looked at him questioningly- that was strangely cryptic for Karma, who was usually pretty straight forward.

"What do you mean?"

"Do you know what happens when human's drink vampire blood?" Karma asked, Nagisa frowned.

"They.. Turn into a vampire, right?" He said, Karma nodded.

"Not just any vampire though, turned Vampires will eventually succumb to their blood-lust and become mindless beasts." Karma explained. "Sometimes it takes just hours, sometimes it takes months."  
That explained why Karma was so different from the Vampires Nagisa had learned about. Karma might be a vampire but he was more than feral beast.

"So what's your point?" Nagisa questioned,

"I think they're turning humans into vampires for the sake of experimentation in there." Karma said, his voice hushed.  
Nagisa's eyes widened. The pieces started falling together; Members of the E class that suddenly disappear, how large parts of the academy are cordoned of with steel doors.

"But why would they even want to do that?" Nagisa said in disbelief. He didn't want something so awful to be true. Karma shrugged.

"Who knows. It wouldn't be the first time you humans did something horrific in the name of science or just plain morbid curiosity." The Vampire said, with a casual smile. "But I do know that if these experiments ever escaped it'd cause a big problem for us vampires as well. So I'm here to expose it."

It was a lot to take in. Nagisa thought of the academy's director; He was a tall man whose eyes ice-cold mauve eyes always seemed full of both pity and contempt. Talking to him was terrifying, people compared it to being trapped in a dark room full of insects. He always seemed perfectly composed, but there was an undercurrent of madness just beneath the surface. He was easily the most powerful man in town. As much as Nagisa hated to admit it, Gakuho Asano did seem like the kind of man who would perform inhumane experiments for his own benefit.

"Do you even have any proof?" Nagisa asked, desperately not wanting this to be true. A dark look crossed Karma's face.

"On the outskirts of this town I found- " He looked away. "I found a pile of corpses. They were just dumped in some pit. I could tell just by looking at them they were of turned vampires. And most of them were young- our age."

Nagisa felt like his world was crashing down around him. He was literally living on top of a laboratory that used humans. Not only that, but there was a chance that he could end up a victim of it. All his life he'd been taught vampires were the ultimate evil, but now Nagisa could see humans were just as cruel. Before he even had a chance to process what Karma was saying, the sound of a gunshot rang through his ears.

Bang!

There was a smoking bullet hole in the wall were Karma's head was second's earlier. The Vampire had just about managed to dodge out the way, but the edge of his jacket was singed.

"I knew following you would lead me to the red devil eventually, but I didn't think it'd be so soon, Nagisa." It was Gakushu Asano, stood on the top of the building overlooking them. He had a triumphant grin on his face, and the gun in his hand was smoking. He hopped down from the building with grace that seemed almost impossible for a human.

"Eh, are you one of the so called Elites?" Karma said, cocking his head to the side. Despite the fact he had been two inches from having his head blown of moments earlier, the red-head was as cocky as ever. "If you didn't already know, I put your buddies in the hospital. Run away now if you don't want to join them, hunter brat."

Gakushu narrowed his eyes and pulled out his sword. "I'm not just a elite, I'm THE elite. I have the highest grades in both physical and academic subjects."

"What- are you going to kill me with your grades?" Karma scoffed, a challenging look in his eyes.

"No, Vampire, I'll kill you by slicing your throat with my sword!" Gakushu growled, charging at Karma.

Nagisa remained rooted to the spot. He pressed himself against the wall- he didn't want to take part in this fight: After what he just learned he didn't know who the enemy was anymore. Besides, he knew how powerful Karma was, this would be over in minutes.

"Heh, didn't anyone tell you that you shouldn't run with knives?" Karma laughed. Asano was a lot faster than the other four elites, but the vampire still dodged his strikes with ease. Once again, Nagisa was in awe of Karma's ability. It made him feel insignificant.  
Their battle was insanely fast, but Nagisa could tell Asano was getting more and more frustrated each time he missed.  
Bam!  
Almost faster than the eye could see, Karma managed to land a punch on the hunter. It sent Asano flying back, crashing into the wall behind him with a sickening thud.  
Nagisa winced when he saw him crumple to the floor. Asano was good, maybe the best hunter. But in a fight with Karma this end was inevitable.

"Man, that was annoying. I can't go anywhere without you people trying to attack me." Karma said, licking his fist. "And what was that about stalking Nagisa? That's just creepy, you know- "  
Bang!  
The next thing Nagisa knew, Karma was crouched down in front of him, blood pooling from his leg, and Asano had pulled himself up of the floor- how was he even conscious after that blow to the head?

"You- you aimed for Nagisa?" Karma growled in disbelief. So that's what had happened- Karma had taken a bullet for him? The blue-haired boy was shocked, why would Karma do that? It filled him with a strange feeling.

"It'd be better if he was shot by a bullet over being killed by a vampire." Asano said, he licked the blood of his split lip, and glared straight ahead. "You know I've never had the chance to kill a natural born vampire, so you'll be my first."

Karma was enraged, "You aimed for Nagisa." He repeated, his gold eyes almost seemed to flash with anger.

"I had a feeling you'd be stupid enough to try and defend him. You vampires are so possessive of your prey." Asano said, looking smug. You could cut the tension with a knife. One moment the two of them were stood opposite sides of the street facing each other, the next, they were at each other's throats.  
Even with a bullet in his leg, Karma was as ferocious as always. But Asano seemed even quicker than before his moves all seemed perfectly disciplined, they contrasted with Karma's wild fighting style.

"You know why I hate vampires?" Asano hissed, he swung his sword at Karma.. "Because they're so arrogant. Because of your natural power you treat us humans like we're your toys!"  
Karma didn't reply, he was truly angry, so Asano continued.

"I bet you haven't trained a day in your life. You just rely on your enhanced abilities. Arrogant, Lazy, vampire!" Asano hissed, kicking Karma hard in the stomach, the Vampire hit the floor, and Asano stomped the red head's stomach. Nagisa stared, horrified. He didn't think it was possible that Karma could loose to anybody. The vampire tried to get to his feet but Asano delivered another kick. The blood loss from his gunshot wound was really starting to affect Karma now. Gakushu rised his sword over his head.  
"I've worked every day of my life so I'd be able to slay parasites like you!"  
No!  
Karma couldn't be killed just like that! A Strange feeling filled Nagisa; Bloodlust.

Nagisa didn't even notice his body moving, but the next thing he knew, he'd tackled Asano. The strawberry blonde hunter was far stronger than him, but in the surprise of the attack, his sword clattered out of his hand.

"What the hell are you doing, Shiota! You'll be hanged for this!" Asano yelled.

What was he doing? Nagisa knew attacking the elite was insane, but the hunter had shot at him and the vampire had had saved his life.

Asano pushed Nagisa of himself harshly and turned back to were seconds earlier Karma had been lying. Those few seconds of distraction were all the Red devil needed.  
Suddenly, Karma was stood behind Asano. Before the hunter could get to his feet the red head had Asano in a choke hold.  
"If you ever try to hurt Nagisa again I'll kill you." He hissed, before whacking the hunter over the back of the head with his fist. There was a brief flicker of genuine fear in those violet eyes before he slumped onto the floor, actually knocked out this time.

Nagisa was shaking. "I- Just committed treason." He murmured to himself in disbelief. He was an outlaw, a criminal just like Karma. But after the things he'd recently learned about this town he wasn't sure that was such a bad thing.  
"Can you stand?" Karma asked, pulling his hand out to help Nagisa up. The blue haired boy took it wordlessly. "Sorry, I think I just pulled you into a crazy shit storm."  
"No." Nagisa said, shaking his head. "I did that to myself. You saved my life. and worry yourself- you're the one who just got shot."

"This is nothing to me."

The two stood wordlessly for a moment, when suddenly Karma picked Nagisa up.  
"What are you doing!?"  
"We need to get out of here- hunters are approaching." Karma said, despite the situation, he smiled slightly. He liked the feeling of holding Nagisa so close to himself. He felt small and warm in his arms. The two disappeared into the darkness, and Nagisa knew his life would never be the same again.


	5. 5

Nagisa woke up slowly. His mattress felt far softer than he remembered. Tentatively, he opened his eyes only to find himself lying in a large spacious bed in a dark room he didn't recognise.  
He shot up suddenly, as memories from the night before flooded his mind; He had discovered a lot of horrific things about Kunugigaoka and had ran away with Karma after saving his life. He wasn't sure it was the right decision, but after defying Asano it wasn't as if he could just go back to life at the hunting academy. He was a criminal now too.

"Quit squirming around, still tired." Karma mumbled, from his place next to Nagisa on the bed. The blue haired boy froze when he felt a cold arm snake around his waist and pull him back down.

"Karma! What are you doing!" The hunter squeaked, as he was held in place by the vampire's arm.

"Well, I was sleeping." The Vampire replied lazily with a yawn.

"No, I mean what are you doing here?" Nagisa clarified.

"Here? As in my own bed?" Karma said, already sounding half asleep despite Nagisa's obvious distress.

"Don't you sleep in a coffin or something?" The blue-haired boy asked. He tried to ignore the way the close proximity to Karma made his face flush and his heart race. The Vampire was holding him so he was inches away from his chest.

"How old do you think I am?" Karma scoffed. Nagisa had no idea that Vampires considered sleeping in a coffin old-fashioned, how was he suppose to know about Vampire culture?

"Is that a trick question? Vampires are immortal, you could be hundreds of years old for all I know." Nagisa said.

"Seventeen, I'm Seventeen. Not some creepy old man." Karma laughed. So the Vampire was only a year or two older than Nagisa. That seemed strange, somehow. Anyway! The issue at hand here was the sleeping arrangements!

In one fluid movement, Nagisa quickly rolled of the bed and landed on the other side, his bare feet against cold stone.

"We are not sharing a bed. From now on I'll sleep on the floor!" Nagisa declared. Karma sat up in the bed and smirked at him.

"You were the one who fell asleep here."  
Nagisa frowned, remembering;

After Karma's fight with Asano, the vampire had carried him of through the darkening streets of Kunugigaoka, nightfall was fast approaching.  
When they got to the outskirts of town, Nagisa had made Karma put him down (why the Vampire insisted on carrying him when he was bleeding everywhere and was a mystery, it was probably just another way to tease the hunter).

"Just let me take the bullet out, we're far enough out the way, nobody will notice us." Nagisa had insisted. Even though Karma kept saying the bullet wound was nothing, the hunter couldn't help but worry.

"Fine." Karma relented, rolling up his trouser leg to reveal the injury. Nagisa winced. It wasn't very deep but it looked painful, even to a Vampire. The blunette took out his first-aid kit from his school bag (an essential piece of equipment giving the work he was doing there). And gently got out the tweezers. Slowly, he moved them toward's Karma's injury.

"Wait!" The Vampire said suddenly, startling Nagisa. Blue eyes met Mercury. "... Will it hurt?"  
The expression on Karma's face was almost.. Apprehensive? Nagisa was shocked. Karma had never shown a vulnerable side before, he didn't think the vampire had one.

"It will, but not as much as being shot." Nagisa said, speaking honestly, his tone comforting. "There will be a few seconds of pain then everything will feel better."

"Okay, I got it. So just take the damn thing out!" Karma said, putting on a brave face.  
He's like a little kid pretending he didn't hurt himself when he fell over, Nagisa thought. Not for the first time that night, Nagisa realised there was more to the red devil than a smooth-talking criminal.

"Alright, I'm taking it out now-" Nagisa said, calmly. He moved towards the Vampire, but at the last moment Karma flinched away.

"Sorry." He said, looking the other way, not facing Nagisa. "I guess you could say I'm not used to pain. I've never- I've never come that close to loosing before. I've never fought a human as strong as that bastard. If it weren't for the lack of fangs I'd say he was a vampire!"  
Karma gritted his teeth. So his battle with Asano had really been bothering him. The red head did have the arrogant air of someone who had never lost before, in that way he was the opposite to Nagisa.

"But, you never had a problem with pain when you actually got shot- and uh- when I stabbed you." Nagisa said,

"That's because of Vampire adrenaline; during a confrontation we're almost immune to pain- Ow!" Karma yelled, when Nagisa suddenly plucked the bullet out that was imbedded in his leg while he was speaking. Nagisa didn't look like much, but his speed and reflexes were insanely good, being able to sneak around a vampire's defenses like that to take out the bullet was no easy feat.

"Sorry," Nagisa said, apologetically, already bandaging Karma's leg. "But it'll feel better now, right."

"Your terrifying." Karma said, the smirk already returning to his face. Nagisa looked at him questioningly. "Anyway, little hunter, or is it ex-hunter now? Lets get going."

It had taken them until the early hours of the morning to reach Karma's place. It was a few hours from the village on foot for a human, and since Nagisa refused to let the injured vampire carry him it was a long journey.  
Nagisa had no idea what to expect, but when Karma stopped suddenly in the middle of the barren moorlands this certainly wasn't it.

"Here!" He declared. Nagisa looked around in the darkness. All he could see was bare ground, rocks, and the odd shrub.

"You stay here?"

"Yeah, I just turn into a bat and and hang upside down on that tree over there- " Karma said, pointing to a dead-looking tree. He laughed at Nagisa's horrified reaction. "Calm down, it was a joke!"

The red-head kicked aside one of the bushes, and beneath it was a trap door. It was the same earthy colour as the ground around it.

"Home, sweet home." Karma said, as he pulled out a key from his pocket.  
Inside it was cave-like and smelled slightly of spices. The main room was decorated with all sorts of odd trinkets, from plates to jars of mystery liquids that were placed on the rickety shelves of the hard stone wall. There was a large wardrobe on one side that seemed as if it would fall apart at any moment. In the middle of the cave was a large four-poster bed, even in the dim light Nagisa could make out it's pale blue colour.

"This place has been used as a hide-out by my family for centuries. Of course, it has nothing on the main mansion." Karma explained as he took his shoes off. Nagisa did the same, the ground below felt cold against his feet. The red head started lighting the many various candles in the room with a match, providing some illumination for the otherwise dark room.

"This is a lot more cosey than I expected." The blue haired boy said honestly, "In the books I read Vampire's either lived in gothic mansions or gutters."

"Gutters?" Karma said, raising an eyebrow. Nagisa shrugged, the walk here had left his feet and legs aching, a fact that didn't go unnoticed by Karma.

"Sit down- I'll put some tea on." The red head said. Nagisa was too tired to even wonder why a Vampire would keep the means to make tea in his abode, he was too tired to even be appropriately nervous about being in a vampire's lair (Well, if Karma really wanted to eat him, he'd had ample opportunity on the way here).

There were no chairs in the room, so Nagisa took a seat on the edge of the blue bed in the middle of the room. Feeling fatigue washing over him, the hunter leaned against the head-board of the bed.

When Karma returned, tea-tray in hand, Nagisa was already lying back on the bed, asleep. His long blue hair had escaped his hair-tyes and was fanned out around his face.  
The Vampire put the tray down on the edge of the bed, and knelt down next to Nagisa.  
He looked so defenceless lying there, his blood smelled delicious as always. Karma's Vampire instincts were screaming at him to lean over and take a bite from the boy's pale exposed neck. But instead, Karma just brushed a stray lock of hair from Nagisa's forehead, and pulled the covers over him.

"I'll just use a sleeping bag or something." Nagisa muttered to himself, as he struggled to get his bearings.

"Hmm? Why can't we just share the bed? It's big enough for the both of us." Karma said, sitting up against the headboard. Nagisa couldn't help but notice that he was shirtless. The Vampire was lean but still has some muscle definition.

"That's not the point!" Nagisa half-shouted. Before they could pursue the topic any further, the two were interrupted by Nagisa's stomach growling. It wasn't very loud but Karma with his enhanced senses of course heard it.

"Man, I forgot how often you humans have to eat- isn't it like once a day?" Karma groaned.

"Usually more than that." Nagisa replied, feeling his cheeks redden. "What time is it anyway?"  
Nagisa realised with a jolt that it he had no idea how long he had been asleep for, there were no windows in this cave so the passage of time was a mystery to him. It could of been weeks for all he knew!

"4pm." Karma replied, reading of his watch. "You've been asleep for eleven hours, you lazy bum."  
Eleven hours! Nagisa couldn't believe it! For some reason his first thought was how much trouble he'd be in for missing a day of school, then he remembered that was the least of his worries.

What was happening back at the academy? Had they announced his status as a traitor and a criminal in front of everybody at school? What would his friends think? Sugino, Kanzaki and Rio, would they despise him now or would they just be confused?

His thoughts turned to his mother- His mother who wouldn't even allow him to stop at a friend's house because she couldn't bare for him to be out of her control for too long. His mother who treated him like her own personal doll that she could live through. She even refused to let him cut his hair, so she could live her dream of being a 'pretty girl' through him. Now he'd finally escaped her, the only thing he had left of her was the bruises on his arms.

When they told her about what he'd done, how would she react?  
Nagisa felt his chest tighten and his throat constrict. Suddenly it was hard to breath.

"Nagisa?"

The hunter looked up, coming face to face with Karma. The Vampire had silently moved from the bed, to right in front of Nagisa, he gently tilted the blunette's chin up so that their eyes met. The hunter opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out. Karma was rubbing circles on his back, Nagisa came to his senses.

"Sorry, I just.. I just- "

"It's okay, I mean, I'd freak out too if everything suddenly changed." Karma said to him, his hand resting on Nagisa's lower back. For once the hunter was actually glad for Karma's total lack of awareness of personal space. He feared his own mother and took comfort in from a vampire, just how messed up was he?

"I'm alright now." Nagisa said with a sigh. He had to be strong.

"Want to talk about it?" Karma asked, his tone was non-demanding. The hunter shook his head, there were some things he didn't want to talk about with anybody.

"I'm alright now." He repeated. His stomach growled again, he felt himself blush as Karma smirked.

"Okay, here's the plan." The Vampire said. "I'll run into town and pick up some human food and supplies- you just take a bath and get ready. We'll make our plan from there."

"Plan?" Nagisa questioned.

"You know, to expose the evil of the academy and all that jazz." Karma said, as he stretched. He then put his hands on Nagisa's shoulders, turning him so that the blue haired boy was facing a person-sized tunnel in the cave wall. "Bathroom's that way- "

Before Nagisa could question the vampire further, he was already up the metal ladder and stepping out into the outside world. Damn vampire speed.

"See you in a bit!" Karma called down before re-sealing the hatch. Nagisa sighed, well, he might as well take Karma's advice and go get a bath, he hadn't changed his clothes in over 24 hours, after all. He wondered what the bathroom would be like in the cave; At home they had the toilet outside the house, and a single tap outside that they used for everything.

Their bath was a big metal tub that he and his mother would fill up outside and heat by the fire. Every morning Nagisa would wake up and collect water from the tap to wash his face and hands in.

Such standard of living was normal in Kunugigoaka, only the rich could afford houses with built-in bathrooms. The very poor, like his friend Isogai, had to share a single tap between the entire street. Nagisa shuddered at the thought.

The hunter took one of the candles, following the passage of the tunnel, it was almost eerily quiet, the only sound was his footsteps echoing around the cave. He stopped when he found himself in a cavern.

In the Inky darkness, he could make out a large body of water using the few rays of sunlight that spilled in from cracks in the rock.  
The sound of bubbling water filled his ears, was this what Karma had meant by the bath?

Nagisa leaned down, dipping his elbow in- it was warm! It must be a natural hot spring. A little hesitantly, the blue haired boy peeled of his clothes and got in.  
The heat took some getting used to but wow- it was relaxing.

"Careful, if you fall asleep you'll drown- don't you humans have to constantly breath or you die?" Karma's voice broke Nagisa out of his daze. The blue-haired boy turned around, startled, just how long had he been relaxing for?

The Vampire was stood behind him, bags in hand. "I got you food, toothbrush, some other dumb human stuff.." He listed.

"T-thanks, I don't have any money but- " Nagisa started to say. He felt inexplicably embarrassed about Karma being here, he shrunk in on himself. It made no sense- Karma may be a Vampire, but he was still just another guy. Nagisa had never felt shy like this in the changing rooms at school, so why now?

"Don't worry about it, I have more money than I could ever spend in a lifetime. Think of it as a thankyou for you know, saving my life last night." The red-head shrugged. "I'll be waiting in the main room, so hurry up and get out before you shrivel up like a prune. I heard humans do that in water."

"Well.. not exactly." Nagisa called after him.

A few moments later, Nagisa and Karma were together back in the bedroom (which also functioned as a kitchen, living room, and dining room in this cave).  
Karma was frying up some rice on the trangia. He kept stealing furtive glances at Nagisa, that annoying grin never leaving his face.

"What!" The blue haired boy finally demanded, after Karma had looked over his shoulder for about the tenth time.

"Nothing." The Vampire said, that ever-present smirk still on his face. "It's just- you look cute in my clothes."

Nagisa blushed; He was wearing one of Karma's shirts and a pair of his trousers, even though he had folded the sleeves the clothes still completely swallowed his small form. Stupid tall well-built vampire

"I'm still growing, you know." He muttered. He'd always been insecure about his lack of height and slender proportions.  
Karma just laughed. "I meant it as a compliment." He said, switching the gas on the teanjia off. "Anyway, bon appitit!"

He poured the curry and rice on a plate and handed it to Nagisa who took it gratefully. He was starving.

"Thank you for the food!" The Hunter said, digging in. It felt weird being the only one eating, but of course, Karma had no interest in human food. The Curry tasted shockingly good for being made by someone who wouldn't even be able to taste it.

"I learned to cook at a pretty young age, before my vampire powers awoken." Karma explained, as if reading Nagisa's mind. The hunter looked at him, still chewing his food. "Since my parents were useless at making human food because they'd just been drinking blood for so long. It was pretty disappointing that human food started tasting like dirt to me not long after I finally got used to cooking."

"Being a Vampire sounds tough." Nagisa said, honestly. "What.. what do you usually do about, you know, food?"

"You mean blood?" Karma cocked his head to the side, a slight smile playing on his lips. "Usually I just go for animals, because they're easier. But once in a while I meet a human I can't resist~ "

"Should I feel honoured you think I make such a good meal?" Nagisa asked, raising an eyebrow. Karma just chuckled in response.

"Since we're living here together for now- " Nagisa started saying. "You can.. I mean, as long as your careful- you can drink my blood, sometimes.. "

"Your seriously adorable, you know." Karma said, with a sly grin.

"Stop teasing me!" Nagisa protested.

"I'm being serious though!" The red devil laughed.

"Anyway.. " The hunter said, changing the subject. "What about the academy's secrets, ..the experiments?"

Karma's expression changed from playful to serious in an instant.

"You definitely want a part in bringing them down? It'll be dangerous, you know."  
"

I know." Nagisa said, with certainty. "But it could of easily been me that was used as one of their experiments. I don't want that to happen to anyone."  
He thought of his friends, Nakamura, Sogoya, Isogai. They were destined for E class just like he was.

"Right." Karma said. "Let's formulate a plan then- "

Asano Gakushu paced back and forth around his father's office. His nerves were frayed from waiting for the man to return;  
Last night, he'd suffered his first defeat at the hands of somebody other than his father. That Damn bloodsucker and that stupid human trash Nagisa Shiota!  
What the hell was that idiot thinking, protecting a vampire? Didn't he know that the red devil only saw him as prey? Vampires liked to keep human's as pets, after all. Another reason Asano hated them.

Last night he'd woken up in the side-alley he'd fought Karma in after being knocked out. He had no idea why the Vampire hadn't just killed him. Although, he was at least grateful that non of his fellow hunters had witnessed him in such a sorry state.

After that, he'd quickly alerted the other hunter's that the Red Devil had captured Nagisa Shiota. He had decided not to brand the boy as a criminal, not yet.

They'd spent all night trying to track the Red devil, but his trail of blood from the bullet wound only reached the end of town.

They had lost all trace of him.

Then of course, after a night without sleep, Asano had to go to school at the academy during the day (he couldn't ruin his perfect attendance, after all). The looks people gave him didn't go unnoticed. Rumours of how the Red Devil had beaten him traveled fast. His reputation as invincible was now completely tarnished.

The sound of the door opening behind him broke him from his chain of thought. He stood still suddenly, staring ahead at the desk as the Chairman walked past him and took a seat in front of him. There was a heavy moment of silence, a pregnant pause.

"A dangerous vampire is wondering free and a boy has been kidnapped because of your ineptitude." The Chairman said, that patronising half-smile on his face. Asano dug his nail's into the palm of his hands.

"He wasn't kidnapped. He chose to go with the vampire willingly, sir." The Hunter explained, glaring at the Director. "I simply chose to say he was kidnapped so we can still offer him immunity from punishment his crimes if he hands in the Red devil. The Vampire seems quite attached to him. You know as well as I do how possessive vampires can be."

"What a pathetic plan. Are you sure concealing the truth from the people isn't so you can avoid admitting that a low-level hunter got the best of you?" The Chairman said, looking at his son as if he were something he couldn't even be bothered to pity. "If your not strong enough to defeat your enemies you are pointless."

"I overheard the Red devil say something interesting to Nagisa Shiota." Asano said, changing the subject. The Director raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? Maybe if you'd spend less time listening to the Vampire speak, and spent more time killing him you wouldn't of failed." His father said. Asano ignored the jab and continued.

"He was under the impression that human experiments were being performed here at the Academy." Asano said, his expression unreadable. "Specifically, he seemed to strongly believe human's were being turned into vampires as a part of some sick experiment."

The Chairman's eyes widened, only for a fraction of a second, but it was all the confirmation Asano needed. He smirked. There must be some way could use this.

"You really are an idiot if you trust a vampire." The director said, getting up out of chair and walking over to Asano. "I believe I told you that if you hadn't killed the Red devil by the next time we see each other, there would be consequences."

The grin dropped from Asano's face immediately. The Chairman stood directly in front of him, Asano fixed his eyes ahead, staring at the leaf-shaped pin on his father's tie, not meeting his eyes.

The Chairman put his hand on Asano's cheek in a way that could almost be mistaken for affectionate. His thumb brushed over the bruise below his lip were Karma had punched him.

"Does it hurt?" He asked, his tone mocking. Suddenly, the Chairman pressed down on the bruise with incredible force, his nails dug into Asano's skin as he grabbed his face. The blonde let out an involuntary hiss of pain, he willed himself not to flinch away.

"Does it hurt?" The Chairman asked again, taunting him.

Suddenly, one of the Director's secretary's burst in.

"Director, sir!"

The Director looked up, sending the secretary a death-glare that had him almost shaking.

"How many times have I expressly asked you to knock before entering?" Gakuho hissed, the Secretary actually whimpered.

"S-sorry Asano, sir!" He stammered. "B-but there are Government officials here to see you. They say it's urgent."

The Chairman's eye's narrowed. He took his hand of Asano's face and adjusted his tie, swiftly walking out the room.

"Bring me to them." He said to his Secretary as he turned the corner. Asano let out a sigh of relief once he was alone in the room. His father was busy. He had some more time.  
Red Devil, Nagisa Shiota, your time is limited.


	6. Fighting Back.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Review for more!

Nagisa walked through the streets of Kunugigawa as if everything was normal, as if he wasn't meant to be a missing person, and he wasn't with a fugitive vampire.  
Karma was keeping to the shadows, the blue haired boy couldn't see him, but he could tell he was nearby.

The first time they'd infiltrated the village, Nagisa felt beyond nervous- He was sure that somebody would notice him right away, he thought that there was no way just wearing a hat would disguise him from the many towns people who where looking for him.

He was wrong. Nobody even gave him a second glance, for once, he was glad for his lack of presence.

Over the last week or so, he and Karma had been scouring the town looking for any sort of information, at first they didn't find anything, but then they took a visit to the town library; There, hidden in one of the many old record books were the blueprints to the academy, including all the information they needed on the extensive basement area- if these experiments were really happening, the bowels of the academy would be were they'd happen.

After they'd gotten the map, they'd spread it out over the bed and spent hours pouring over it, attempting to memorise it. Eventually, they managed to formulate a plan, and today was the day that they'd finally carry it out.

Nagisa reached the gates to the academy, they were wrought iron and surrounded by barbed wire, luckily, they'd timed their arrival so that it was just after school had ended, so that they were still open.

"Hm- I never thought I'd visit a hunters academy of all places." Karma said, suddenly walking next to him. He was wearing a black wig. Without his usual blood-red hair, the Vampire seemed completely different.

"Just act natural." Nagisa said, under his breath to him. The guards at the gate didn't even look up at the two of them as they passed.

"The securities surprisingly lax. I'm kind of disappointed, I expected a fight." Karma chuckled as they walked onto the grounds. The both of them were wearing the dark grey hunter's uniform. They both fit in seamlessly, the other students didn't give them a second glance as they passed.

"You need to sort out your priorities." The blue haired boy replied- but Karma had a point. Considering that there was a Vampire known to be wondering around (and kidnapping people, according to the local paper) you would think the town would be on high alert.

"I know, I know." Karma said, with a slight smile as they walked around the side of the academy. The building was old, and had originally been a Church. Gothic gargoyles protruded from the walls, glaring down at the two of them.

It made the blue haired hunter uneasy- he felt as though he was being watched.

"Do you think we should look for Nagisa again?"

Nagisa heard the voice and recognised it instantly- Sugino. His best friend from the academy. The blue haired boy froze, Karma looked at him questioningly. They stood still around the corner of the building, listening into the conversation on the other side.

"I don't know, I want to do something, but I have no idea were that damn bloodsucker would take him!" A female voice said- It was Rio. "Damn, I should never of left him by himself, Nagisa is too adorable for Vampires to resist!"

Nagisa gave a half frown when he heard that, Karma gave him a teasing grin. He was not cute, adorable, dammit, he was a guy!

"I just hope he's alright... " Sugino said, sounding strained. Nagisa felt a pang of guilt.

"He will be." Rio reassured him. She sounded like she was trying hard to be her usual upbeat self, but there was sadness beneath the surface. Nagisa wanted with every fibre of his being to run out and tell her that he was okay- but he knew he couldn't.

He had a higher purpose now.

Both he and Karma stayed pressed up against the side of the wall, until they heard Rio and Sugino's footsteps pass.  
Nagisa let out a sigh of relief. He wasn't sure why Asano had decided to tell people he'd been kidnapped rather than admit that the hunter had willingly sided with the vampire- Maybe it was part of an agenda, or maybe that's how the elite really saw the situation.

"You alright?" Karma asked him. Nagisa forced a smile.

"Yeah." He said. "I just hate making people worry- "

"Do you miss them?" Karma asked as they walked along side each other. His expression was unreadable.

"Yeah." Nagisa admitted, then he looked at the Vampire, his blue eyes full of determination. "But part of the reason I'm doing this is for them- I don't want my friends or anyone to be made into experiments!"

Karma looked half-startled for a moment, then smiled. "Right."

The two of them reached the metal vent that lead to the basement- of all the ways in they saw on the blueprints, this would be the safest.

Just as they planned, Nagisa stood guard, leaning in the wall, while Karma pulled out a screwdriver and started unscrewing the bolts.

The blue haired boy couldn't help but notice just how fast he was at doing it; It would take a normal human about an hour to undo all those tightly screwed bolts, but the Vampire had the vent of in mere minuets.

Because he'd been drinking a bit of Nagisa's blood everyday, Karma's strength and speed had improved massively. Apparently, human blood made Karma more powerful than the animal blood he'd usually dined on, and Nagisa's blood was especially effective. (The hunter had mixed feelings on that).  
Still, giving blood willingly had taken some getting used to;

"Just relax." Karma had told him, the first time Nagisa was willingly giving blood.

"I am relaxed." The hunter told him, although he clearly wasn't. His heart was racing in his chest, his face felt flushed and it was suddenly hard to breath.

"You know it doesn't hurt, right? I've drank your blood before"

"-Yes, without permission."

"Sorry." The vampire snickered, but the grin on his face told Nagisa that he wasn't sorry at all. The blunette wasn't sure why he was getting so nervous over this, but something about the way he was leaning back on the bed, and Karma was looming over him, one knee between Nagisa's legs made the whole thing seem so... Intimate.

"I'm fine, so just bite me." The hunter said, trying hard to sound calm and not let any of the embarrassment he felt into his voice.

"If you insist." Karma said, he leaned in closer over Nagisa, wrapping one arm around the hunter's waist. He grazed his teeth against the human's neck in a way that had Nagisa biting back a moan.

That damn vampire knows exactly what he's doing!

Then he sunk his fangs slowly into Nagisa's neck. There was a sharp intake of breath as the hunter felt the initial sting, then he closed his eyes, relaxing. The experience was strange as always, pleasurable in a way that Nagisa couldn't quite understand.

He felt that strong connection to Karma again. The hunter could feel Karma's arm tighten and travel lower down his waist- It seemed almost possessive, somehow.  
Without even realising it, Nagisa had found himself clinging onto the Vampire's shirt as he drank from him.  
After being drank from, Nagisa always felt relaxed and sleepy. He often found himself falling asleep next to Karma on the bed.

"It'll be a squeeze but we can fit through." Karma said, as he pulled the grid of the air-vent, and surveyed the dark space left that was their entry to the basement. "It's about a twenty meter drop though.. I'll go down first and catch you."

"Okay, let's do it." Nagisa squinted into the darkness; It was pitch black, he couldn't see anything. Vampire-vision must be amazing if Karma could see the bottom from here.

"Wish me luck!" Karma said, grinning as he slid of the ledge feet-first, plummeting into the unknown Nagisa watched as the vampire disappeared from sight, seemingly swallowed by the darkness. There was a moment of silence, then a soft thud was heard.

"Okay, now jump!" Karma's disembodied voice called up to the Hunter. Nagisa dangled his legs down the opening, looking around one final time to ensure that nobody was watching. He took a gulp of air, and pushed himself off the edge.

The hunter felt himself sailing down through the nothingness, a giddy feeling in his chest.

Before he could hit the ground, however, strong arms caught him.

"You alright?" Karma asked. Their faces were inches apart, so close that Nagisa could feel the Vampire's breath on his cheek, but it was so dark that Nagisa couldn't even see him.

"I'm fine." Nagisa confirmed, although his heart was still pounding from the fall.

"Okay, let's go explore!" Karma said, sounding somewhat excited.

"But first put me down!" The hunter demanded, trying to free himself from the vampire's hold to no avail.

"But it's easier this way~" the red head whined. Even though Nagisa couldn't see him, he could tell that his companion was pouting.

"Karma." He said in a warning tone- because really, it was embarrassing for a guy to be carried around like his was a princess- the Vampire relented.

"Fine." He said, Nagisa could practically hear the smirk in his voice as the red head set him down on the hard concrete floor.

"Okay, let's get started." The blue haired boy said. Karma took his hand and started leading him through the darkness. Without the sense of sight, Nagisa felt lost, but something about the vampire's hand clasped around his wrist gave him a sense of security.

"Okay, according to the blueprint we go straight ahead for twenty meters or so. We're in the pipe-system now, but we can get to the main part of the basement from from another air-vent in the ceiling." The red-head said, suddenly switching from being playful to serious.

"Right." Nagisa said, allowing himself to be lead along (since it was too dark for him to see). They didn't really have a solid plan for what they would do here, since they had no idea what they'd find. They had just picked the best route to explore and investigate the academy, but neither of them had any idea what would happen, or what they would see. They just had to do something.

"Found it- " Karma said, after a few minuets of walking the passageway, he tapped the air vent and a metallic sound echoed through the passageway.  
So far, so good.

The Vampire pulled the cage of the vent, placing it on the ground, and turned to Nagisa.  
"

I'll go first- just in case." Karma said, before scrambling up the air vent as swiftly as a cat.

"Be careful!" Nagisa warned.

"It's safe." Came the reply a moment later. The human felt a hand tap his shoulder from above. "Grab on, I'll pull you up!"

The hunter took Karma's hand, and allowed himself to be dragged up from the floor to the next level.  
Nagisa was thankful that at least on this level there were dimly flickering gas-lights to illuminate the passage way.

"So if there's lights, that means that this part of the basement is in use somehow." The hunter mused, as he pulled himself properly to his feet. He noticed that Karma had pulled the back wig off. He definitely looked better with his natural red hair, the human couldn't help but notice.

"I can't say I like this decor though- and you humans say that we're the macabre ones- " Karma said, looking at the walls- Nagisa realised with a jolt that the stone was adorned with skeletons mounted in cases like rare butterflies. The bones appeared human, except a closer look at the skull revealed enlarged fangs.

"These are- " the hunter gasped.

"Vampire remains.. " Karma finished through gritted teeth. He was trying to appear nonchalant but Nagisa noticed the dark look in his eye- It can't be easy seeing members of your species slaughtered and then used as some sort of sick decoration.

"Karma- " Nagisa started.

"I'm fine." Karma cut him off. "I know humans don't always hunt vampires without justification. In fact, when it comes to turned Vampires there's usually nothing you can do but kill them before they loose themselves to insanity and blood lust."  
Nagisa looked at him.

"But some of these- " Karma said, turning to look at a particularly small skeleton with a pained look in his eyes. "Are just children. And natural born vampires at that."

"I'm sorry." The human said, truly meaning it- he felt a sudden stab of guilt; Nagisa may not of killed any vampires personally, but until he met Karma he had always thought of them as monsters that needed to be wiped out. He had even treated Karma that way at first. Now he saw that the world wasn't so black and white, not every Vampire deserved to die.

"What for? You don't have to apologise for what your village did." The red-head said, sounding slightly amused despite the situation.

"Thanks." Nagisa said sincerely, he walked over to one of the cases. He blew the dust off the bronze plaque and read it.  
It was dated ten years ago.

'Executed by sunlight for the heinous crime of disguising herself in our community'

"I remember these!" The blue haired boy said with a jolt. "These cases used to be up in the academy and the town hall about ten years ago-"

Karma looked at him questioningly "Why do they hide them down here now?"

"Executions.. We used to execute vampires, but after Gakuho Asano became the director of the academy, he banned them saying they were a waste of time and effort, and hunters should slay their targets as soon as possible." Nagisa said, old long-forgotten memories of kunugigawa flooding his mind.

"The director of the school has that much power to change the village's traditions?" Karma asked, raising an eyebrow. Nagisa shook his head.

"Not normally, but Director Asano controls the mayor, the cabinet- everything." Nagisa said- It was no secret who was really pulling the strings in Kunugigawa.

"It was ten years ago that hunters started going after Vampires that hadn't done anything wrong." Karma said. "In the past, hunters would only target turned Vampires, or Vampires that were killing humans or tresspassing in their villages. Your town even used to contract out Vampires to work for them sometimes."

"No way." Nagisa said, staring at Karma wide-eyed. Their village working with Vampires? That seemed impossible! Just how much had director Asano changed Kunigigawa? The two of them continued walking through the passageway, trying to ignore the way the hollow dead eyes of the skeletons seemed to bore into them.

"I went to an execution once." Nagisa said, remembering suddenly- "I was four years old. And terrified. But my mother dragged me along to 'teach' me what happens to Vampires. There was a huge crowd, everyone was so excited- like a festival or something- they brought out this man with a metal mask on, and tied him to the pole."  
Nagisa winced, as he recalled what had happened next. "- He had on this blue necklace, and one of the hunters pulled it off. It must of been lapis lazuli, because the vampire just- went up in flames."

The blue haired boy remembered vividly how the stench of burning flesh hung in the air, the shrill sounds of the man's screams as he was burnt alive by sunlight, the feeling of his mother's hands gripping his chin so he couldn't look away.

Nagisa felt Karma take his hand and squeeze it.

"Humans and Vampires can be pretty brutal, huh." He said, with a sardonic half-smile as they continued to walk down the winding passageway, still lined with corpses. "At least executions are banned now, at least."

"Yeah- at school, sometimes the other kids used to carry out 'executions'. Really it was just an excuse to bully someone." The hunter said as they walked- he didn't take his hand from Karma's. "They'd usually pick a kid who was a loner or something, and make them the 'vampire'. Then they would beat them up, and that'd be the execution."

"Did they ever do that to you?" Karma asked, his grip on Nagisa's hand tightening suddenly.

"No- the bullies never even noticed me." The hunter admitted, he couldn't help but smile slightly- Karma sounded so protective. "Well, besides one time a few years ago." He admitted. "- I was walking home a few years ago when I saw some older students beating up a kid my age. I knew they'd turn on me for it but I had to intervene. I was lucky, really, they didn't hit me too hard- perhaps they knew that they'd already gone too far with the first boy."

Nagisa could still remember how he'd found the other boy, his clothes torn covered in bruises and burn marks, his arms tied to a tree behind his back. He knew that he couldn't just leave him- Even when the older students had kicked him in the stomach and punched him in the face, it was worth it to be able to help somebody else, and make his own worthless life a little less useless. The blunette had thrown his jacket over the boy, and helped him limp to the hospital, ignoring the pain from his split lip the entire time.

"Those bastards." Karma growled.

"Hey- it was years ago." Nagisa said, sheepishly.

"Your so self-sacrificing it makes me worry, you know." The red-head said, sounding uncharacteristically serious. Before Nagisa could reply, he suddenly stared dead-ahead and grinned. "Finally, we can get out of this corpse maze."

Ahead was a wooden door with a metal handle. Karma sniffed the air.

"There's something weird on the other side."

"Weird?" Nagisa questioned- could this be the experiments?

"Something I've never sensed before." Karma said, there was a wild look in his mercury eyes as he turned to glance at Nagisa "Pull out your knife and get ready. I'm gonna knock the door down."

The hunter nodded, pulling out his knife and getting into a defensive position.

"Ready?" Karma questioned. The blue haired boy nodded. The red head kicked the door, nearly breaking it in two. It flew of the handle, revealing the next section of the dungeon.

A low growl was heard from the room. Nagisa gasped, his eyes widening in horror when he saw what was inside.


	7. Demon Dogs.

"Did you hear? A kid from the academy went missing?" Sugino said, his voice hushed and his eyes wide, as if he were mentioning something taboo. Nagisa turned to face him.  
"Another one?" The boy said, throwing a stone into the pond. He frowned. It was summer and the two of them were eleven. Next year they'd leave the general school and start training to be hunters at the academy "Why do the one's in E class always disappear?"  
"Well they say it's because the one's in E class are so weak and stupid that either vampires get them or they get lost outside the village, or they shoot themselves with their own gun." Sugino said, rolling his eyes at the E class's apparent stupidity. "But I know different.. What really get's 'em is the demon dogs."  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Nagisa froze in horror, his knife still held across himself in a defensive position. There in front of them, was a growling, snarling monster;It stood on all fours, it's pointed teeth barred and it's crimson red eyes bulging out of it's sockets. It was as big as a horse, but there was something distinctly canine about it's body.

Demon dog.

The word ran through Nagisa's head. This was a demon dog, the thing that kids tell ghost stories about and the adults insisted wasn't real.

The beast lunged at Karma, it's crimson eyes almost luminous- Even the Vampire seemed taken aback by the demon dog's appearance. The red-head raised his dagger and sliced into the dog, but the thing didn't seem to notice, and didn't even falter in it's movements. It knocked Karma to the floor, it's jaw snapping inches from the Vampire's face, the red-head only managed to save himself from being mauled by holding back the dog with sheer strength.

Nagisa sprung into action, charging forward and driving his dagger right into the thing's back.

The demon dog didn't even react, it just continued it's assault on Karma without even glancing at Nagisa. Instead of blood, red vapour steamed out from the stab wound.

"It's- a hunter's dog... They don't react to stab wounds!" Karma managed to choke out as he tried to pry the beast away from himself- The thing was incredibly strong.

"How do I kill it?" Nagisa cried, as he pulled his knife out from the thing's back- It was as if the monster couldn't even feel the wound.

"You can't! Their already dead!" The Vampire said, suddenly, a second beast emerged from the shadows; Just as huge as the first, this dog had the same crimson eyes, and the same knife-like fangs, jagged and sprouting out of the animals gums in a way that looked grotesque.

This one went for Nagisa, it's jaw stretched open, aiming for his neck. He managed to pull out his knife last minuet, narrowly avoiding having his throat ripped out by stabbing the thing through the jaw.

The demon dog snarled vivaciously, flecks of saliva spewed out from it's mouth, mingling with the red vapor.

"Nagisa, run!" Karma yelled as the first dog snapped it's jaws at him, nearly engulfing the Vampire. "I'll hold them off, just run!"

"I'm not leaving you!" Nagisa insisted, his eyes ablaze like blue flames. He managed to dodge the second dog's first attack, but the next time it just came too fast- He raised his arm to protect his neck, but the beast managed to sink it's fangs right into the hunter's arm. He felt a white-hot blinding pain as his flesh was torn. He'd never felt anything so excruciating before in his life.

"Idiot! Don't sacrifice yourself!" Karma yelled, Nagisa felt a searing pain in his arm, more excruciating than anything he'd ever felt before as fangs teared through the flesh of his arm. It felt like being burnt.  
But he wanted to be able to help Karma. If only one of them could make it, it had to be Karma. He was the only one strong enough to expose the academy's secrets.

"You know there was no other way." The blue haired boy managed to gasp out. He felt the Vampire pick him up, and kick the demon dog away. Next thing he knew he was being carried away by the red head, the monsters quick on their heels, the sound of their claws clacking against the stone resonated through the labyrinth.  
They're faster than Karma!

Nagisa realised with a jolt- they couldn't outrun the beasts, they couldn't escape them. They were trapped.

The vampire seemed to realise that too. He set Nagisa down on the floor, and turned to face the two demon dogs alone.

"Karma! No!" The human cried out as the red-head charged at the demons head on. He was driving them away. The blue haired boy tried to stand, but felt suddenly as if his limbs has turned to jelly. The bite-mark on his arm felt numb now- The Demon dog's fangs were poisonous.

The hunter could only watch as Karma fought the demon dogs- It was like watching feral animals fight. The corridor was misted with red vapour, but the monster's attacks were still relentless despite their injuries.

Just what were those things?

The Vampire managed to drive the battle away from the incapacitated Nagisa, but not without getting injured himself- one of the demon dogs had latched it's fangs around his ankles. Their battle was getting further and further away, the Hunter could no longer see them, he could only hear;  
A snarl,

a whine,

a cry of pain.

It pierced his heart realising how useless he was right now, the venom coursing through his veins, weakening his muscles so he couldn't even stand up. He could tell that even Karma was no match for the dogs; They'd tear him apart and maul him to death, then they'd come back for Nagisa.

They were both going to die in this cold dark dungeon, and the secrets of the academy along with them. It was so hopeless.

The hunter's vision darkened, and the sounds of fighting grew distant. He felt cold, so cold.  
Just as he was about to resign himself to death, he felt a strong pair of hands wrap around his waist and pick him up.

Nagisa woke up with a start, his head somehow feeling both heavy and light at the same time. He opened his eyes, his vision swimming- A room, he was in a dark circular room somewhere. He could just about make out the figure of a person standing a few meters from him- A tall, slender male with short hair.

"Karma!" He cried out instinctively trying to get to him. He tried to reach out to him only to find his arms wouldn't move. He looked down, and to his horror, there was cold metal wrapped around them-  
Hand-cuffs.

"Sorry to disappoint you." The other person said- Nagisa's vision came into focus: Instead of Karma's blood red hair, this person had strawberry blonde that fell into a pair of sharp violet eyes. Instead of Karma's playful smirk on his face, this boy had a cold humourless grin.

"A-Asano!" The blue haired boy cried out, backing into the wall- What was going on? Were was Karma? What happened with the Demon dogs? An icy feeling of dread spread through Nagisa's body.  
Karma, please, please be alive.

He tried to sit up and dive off the wooden bench he was lying on, but Asano was there in an instant. The Elite grabbed his cuffed wrists and pulled him back down onto the bench, face-down. The smaller boy tried to struggle to no avail, he was completely outmatched. It was only once he lay still that Asano let go off him- He hadn't said any words, but the message was clear; You can't fight your way out, so don't bother.

"It was far too easy catching you two , you know." The Elite hunter said, triumphantly. "I overheard that you were looking into the secrets of the academy or something stupid like that, so pinning you down was simple. I just had to plant those fake blueprints in the library, and I knew you'd fall straight into my trap!"

"W-what?" Nagisa said. He felt as if the floor was falling out beneath him- Everything was staged? A part of Asano's plan? How could it be?

"Now the hard part- " The Blonde said, still gloating. "Was actually altering part of the Academy's dungeon so it matched the fake blue prints. Making a fake vent that allowed you easy access to the boiler room so you could get to the trap, now that was difficult. Especially since the area is technically out of bounds even for me."  
Nagisa was frozen with fear by this point. The sense of dread had evolved to terror- He was petrified;

What about Karma.

"But the most challenging part by far was learning how to create demon dogs." Asano continued, his violet eyes widening with excitement as he re-accounted his plan. "I knew I had to find something stronger to fight that vampire, you see, especially since I knew he'd be feasting off your blood and making himself even more powerful. So I went to the forbidden section in the library and found exactly what I needed."  
He seemed like a mixture between a villain monologuing and a little kid proudly telling his parents about his accomplishments.

Nagisa couldn't breath. The tall stone walls of wherever they were seemed to be caving in on him.

"Karma? What happened to him? Is he alive?" He cried.

"Karma?" Asano said, putting his hand on the hilt of his sword, "You mean the red devil?"

"Just tell me!" The blue haired boy all but yelled- his voice laced with desperation.

"He's alive." The Elite said, pursing his lips. "For now."

Nagisa felt a flood of relief, for a moment he didn't even care that he was likely in prison, likely facing treason charges. Karma was alive.  
"So he managed to kill your demon dogs then?"

Asano shook his head, laughing slightly. "No. I called them off. They only last as long as I want them to. The Demon's possessing their bodies leave when I say the word. It was so incredibly easy, I can't believe the practice is banned."

"So what's the point of you're plan then?" Nagisa asked, confused. Asano suddenly sat down next to him on the wooden bench, making the smaller boy jump. He was incredibly on edge, he felt as though the Elite could strike at any minute. The blond somehow didn't seem like his usual stoic self. His hands kept twitching towards his sword, his eyes darting around the room. Was this an after-effect of playing around with demons? It was banned for a reason, after all.

"Shiota, do you know why people who get bit by Vampires are stigmatised?" Asano asked, he reached out, his fingers hovering over Naisa's neck, right on the spot were Karma had bitten him. The blue haired boy froze in place. "Because Vampires can track the last prey they drank from. The hungrier they feel, the stronger they are drawn to them- The only way to truly be free from a Vampire who drinks from you, is to kill them."

The Elite added the last part somewhat bitterly.

So Karma could track him? That made sense; It explained how the Vampire always managed to find him when he was in the village. Something about that power made Nagisa feel uneasy though.

"The red devil clearly gets more attached to his prey than he ought to." Asano said. "He'll be coming after his favourite toy as soon as he's thirsty enough to sense your presence and find your location. That's the best part. He'll be weak with thirst by the time he gets here."

"No way..." Nagisa said, his voice low. He had known Gakushu Asano was a dangerous opponent, but he didn't realise quite how dangerous; He'd manipulated them from the start, lead them into a perfectly crafted trap, he'd even managed to master some kind of forbidden dark art for the sake of defeating them. It was hard to believe he was just a boy the same age as Nagisa- Was this guy even human? But there was one thing about his plan that didn't add up;

"Why didn't you just leave us to be killed by the demon dogs? We were no match for them. Why did you have to kidnap me to lure Karma when you had the chance to easily kill us both?"

Asano stood up off the bench, hesitating for a moment before answering.

"Because it isn't enough just to kill the red devil." He said, a grin growing on his face. "Since he's my first target to ever defeat me, I think that we should bring executions back in his honour."  
The blue haired boy had a vision of Karma chained in front of a jeering crowd, the executioner ripping of his Lapis-Lazuli necklace and exposing him to the unforgiving glare of the sun. That couldn't happen.

"Karma will know this is a trap! He wont just come sauntering over here, wherever here is!" Nagisa said, glaring at the Elite.

"Oh, he'll know it's a trap, but he'll want you back so badly he'll walk right into it like the arrogant vampire he is." The blonde said. The worst part was, Nagisa knew he was right.

"Maybe it's the other way around, Asano, maybe your the one who's trapped with a powerful vampire after you. Maybe you should run away while you still can. You might've made Karma weaker by cutting of his blood supply, but he still wont be weak enough to loose to you." The blue haired boy hissed, glowering at his captor. Asano's eyes flashed with anger. He took a step forward as if he was about to strike Nagisa, but faltered, and instead just crossed his arms.

"I don't know what else I expected from somebody deluded enough to forsake his own kind and run off with a Vampire." The Elite said, "I almost pity you."

Asano stalked away, going back to look out of the window- It was just a small slit in the wall, too high up for Nagisa to look out of. Pale beams of sunlight streamed in- Just how long had Nagisa been unconscious that it was already day time? He couldn't even tell were they were, just a small circular stone-walled room that was empty apart from the wooden bench he was lying on, a few steel hooks on the wall. A prison cell somewhere? He wracked his brains, trying to think of a plan to defeat Asano before Karma even got here.

"Drink." The Elite commanded, walking over and handing Nagisa a flask. The blue haired boy looked at it skeptically. "It's just water. It'll be a hindrance if you get delusional from dehydration."

"If I can cause you any kind of hindrance, that'd be great." Nagisa said, anger uncharacteristically seeping into his voice. Asano's hand darted forward, grabbing him by the chin and forcing his face up.

"Drink it or I'll force it down your throat. And that wont be pleasant for either of us." The Elite hissed through gritted teeth, his violet eyes boring into Nagisa's blue ones. The smaller boy relented and took the flask. Asano let go of him, walking back to the other side of the room to look out of the window again.  
He was clearly expecting Karma at any time now. If Nagisa was going to do something, he had to act fast.

He took tentative sips from the water in the flask (his throat was parched), and noticed that his left arm was wrapped heavily in bandages from were the Demon Dog had bit him.  
Asano must of treated his injury while he was unconscious.

He must need me alive for this Vampire tracking thing to work. Nagisa realised.

In that case, the blue haired boy had a plan, even if it would only work to distract Asano for a little. While the Elite was turned looking out the window (he didn't seem to feel the need to directly guard Nagisa- and he called Karma arrogant!) the blue haired boy raised his injured arm, and whacked it against the wall. Hard.

The effect was as he had expected; A shock of sudden pain reverberated throughout his body, the wound reopened and crimson blood seeped through his bandages.

"What the hell do you think you're doing!?" Asano's reaction was quicker than he expected; He charged over, eyes wide and enraged, quickly, he took out a key and pulled the cuffs off, throwing them to the side.

"It'd be bad for your plan if I was to bleed to death, right?" Nagisa said. He had underestimated just how much this would hurt though.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" The Elite demanded, he threw his bag on the floor, searching through it hastily to get to the first aid kit. He bit down on his hand in frustration- He was getting even more pissed off than Nagisa expected. Good.  
By the time Asano came at him with fresh bandages, the dressing on Nagisa's wound was blood-soaked. He was starting to feel dizzy.

"What the hell is wrong with you." Asano repeated angrily under his breath as he redressed the wound roughly. He kept turning his head away as if he couldn't stand the sight of it. "Why do you keep trying to sacrifice yourself for that damn bloodsuckers sake! You gave up your life as a hunter to become his personal blood-bag, and you tried to face the demon dogs! Do you just enjoy being a human shield?"

"I'm not doing it just for Karma." Nagisa said, his voice tired now from blood loss. Asano's rough bandaging had managed to staunch the bleeding, at least. "You know the academy's doing something evil, right? I don't mind sacrificing myself to stop them and save everyone. I finally have a purpose."  
Nagisa didn't even realise the smile that crept onto his face as he spoke- that's right, he had a purpose. Before he met Karma, he had felt so insignificant, he had nothing to contribute to society, no real reason to exist.

"Idiots like you who lay down their lives for idealistic causes deserve to die, hopefully before they reproduce, so they don't infect the gene pool with their stupidity." Asano hissed harshly. He still had tight hold of Nagisa's wrists. Probably to prevent him from hurting himself again.

"Your a hypocrite." The blue haired boy said, smoothly. "You've broken rules and dabbled in dark arts just to beat us. But why? We're not doing anything that that effects you. If you're only working for yourself, then why're you putting yourself in so much danger? What are you actually gaining from this?"

Asano's eyes widened for a moment, then he scowled, opening his mouth to retort (probably going to saying something along the lines of 'I'm not in any danger from weak opponents.')

But before he had a chance to say anything, there was a loud crash, and the sound of stone crumbling. Nagisa was blinded for a moment, as the air filled with thick debris from the wall being smashed apart. The first thing he saw when his vision cleared was Karma, standing in the space were part of the wall used to be. Brocken brick lay at his feet, and sunlight streamed in from behind him.

His mercury eyes almost seemed to glow with rage, and a savage blood-lust radiated off him.

From outside the broken wall, Nagisa caught a glimpse of were they were; They were in a building high up off the ground, with the endless moorlands underneath. So Asano must of taken him to the abandoned tower on the outskirts of town.

"You're really starting to piss me off, hunter brat." The Vampire growled under his breath. "You don't even realise what you've done, messing around with demons!"  
Asano let go of Nagisa's wrists and stood up, drawing his sword, Karma's sudden entrance had taken him by surprise.

"You look pitiful." The Elite said, smirking. It wasn't a lie; Karma looked paler than normal, dark bags under his eyes, he looked weary- An effect of abstaining from drinking blood, especially after being injured by the demon dogs.

"You'll be looking worse in a moment, I assure you." The red-head hissed. The animosity between them was palpable, Nagisa was sure he could literally feel the hate crackling in the air. Karma dived for Asano, but the elite was faster, grabbing Nagisa and pressing the blade of his sword right against the other hunter's jugular. The Vampire froze, and the blue haired boy struggled weakly in his captor's arms.

"It'd be a pity for you to come all this way just for me to break your favourite plaything." Asano said. "Right now, without blood, you're slower than a non-vampire like me. It's so much fun to see how useless you are without your enhanced abilities."

"You're playing with fire." Karma warned, his voice low and dangerous but he didn't make a move. "What exactly do you want? You've already had the chance to kill me."

"My bag, on the floor." The Elite said, still restraining a struggling Nagisa with ease. "There's a pair of handcuffs in them. Put them on."

"Karma, don't!" Nagisa cried. He hated being used as a hostage! "Don't fall into his trap aga- "

Asano clamped a hand over the blue haired boy's mouth, silencing him.

"Do you need me to cut one of his eyes out for you to get the message?" He threatened. Reluctantly, the Vampire walked over, the wooden floor creaking under his feet, he picked the cuffs up out of the bag, and tightened them around his own wrists.  
I need to humour him for now, lure him into a false sense of security, and when his guard's down I'll rescue Nagisa' the red head thought as he put cuffs on.

"Tighter, I want to hear them click!" Asano demanded, Karma had no choice but to comply- It was so frustrating, the air was heavy with the smell of Nagisa's delicious blood, and Karma was famished, but he couldn't reach him. His little hunter was right in front of him, but the Vampire couldn't touch him, instead he had to watch this stuck-up elite brat put rough hands all over his Nagisa. A possessive anger bubbled up in Karma's stomach. He wanted to tear Asano apart.

"Happy?" The Vampire growled, holding up his cuffed hands. "Now what?"

"There's a vial with purple liquid in the bag also. I want you to drink that." The Elite commanded, still stifling Nagisa's protests with his hand. The red head went into the bag, and picked up the vial just as instructed. He grimaced, instantly recognising what exactly it was.

"If I drink this, I'll be incapacitated." Karma said, staring at the bottle with the upmost distaste, and a slither of fear. A conflicted expression spread on his face. "Then what's stopping you from killing me and Nagisa?

"Nothing!" Asano said, sounding almost gleeful. "But if you don't comply I'll definitely slit his throat, without a doubt!"

The Vampire gritted his teeth, clearly deliberating about what to do- He wasn't used to being cornered and controlled. And neither of his options looked good. Slowly, he brought the bottle to his mouth as if he were about to drink it.

Nagisa's heart dropped.

But, at last minute, the Vampire pulled the vial away from his mouth, and threw the contents of it at Asano and Nagisa.

The blue haired boy felt the liquid splatter onto him, he half expected it to sting, but it felt just like water. Aasno, however, had a completely different reaction when he was hit. He let out a cry of pain, and brought his hands to his face instinctively, letting go of Nagisa in the process.

Weak from blood-loss, the boy felt his knee's buckle beneath him. But before he could fall to the floor, Karma was there.

"I knew it!" The Vampire said triumphantly. "Vervain works against creatures of darkness like us vampires. But playing around with dark arts has also made you susceptible right now, Mr Elite."

Asano pulled his face out of his hands, his expression one of pure rage. There seemed to be angry red burn marks down one side of his face and neck were the Vervain had hit him. Wordlessly, he pulled out his sword.

"Aw, don't be such a baby." Karma chuckled, although Nagisa could tell he was on edge. (The cuffs were too strong to break, and he needed blood.) "If you were a vampire, those injuries would be a lot worse!-"

The blonde charged at him before the Vampire had even finished speaking, brandishing his sword, Karma managed to block his first swing using the metal of his handcuffs.  
"What's the matter? Were's that positive attitude from before? It was fun, you acting like a cliche villain." The red-head taunted. While Asano was distracted, Nagisa dived across the floor to the other hunter's bag, rummaging through it to see if there was any sort of weapon or any more Vervain he could use against him, or even just the key to Karma's cuffs.

"Are you upset, hunter brat? You've gotten quiet. Are you shy?" Karma teased. He kept up his grin, but the Vampire already had a gash across his arm from Asano's sword. It was clear who was going to win if this kept up.

Both of them were fighting more slowly and more sloppily than usual though, the Elite because of the Vervain, the Vampire because of lack of blood.

Nagisa searched the bag, there had to be something. Something.

The blue haired boy pulled out a silver key, and a vial of thick red liquid- blood.  
He knew hunter's often used blood vials to lure vampires. Well today, this blood would be used to aid them. He just needed an opening-

The battle between the Vampire and the elite hunter was more savage than the last one; Both of them already looked exhausted, with various shallow wounds. Neither of them were paying much heed to Nagisa, both too absorbed in their battle.

Asano clearly didn't see him as a threat, Nagisa could use that to his advantage.

As quick as a snake darted towards it's prey, the blue haired boy dived past Karma, and towards the Elite, brandishing a sharp piece of broken brick (that used to be part of the wall) as a weapon.

Asano kicked him away easily, Nagisa's intervention not even distracting him for more than a few seconds. But that was enough. The blond hunter didn't notice the smaller boy slipping the Vampire the key and the vial of blood as he charged forwards.

When Asano looked back to Karma, the cuffs had already been dropped to the floor with a metallic 'chink', he drank the blood from the vial down in one gulp, wiping it from his mouth with a disgusted expression.

"It tastes so stale when you don't drink it from the source," The Vampire complained with a theatrical gag. Then he grinned, aiming it at Nagisa. "Still, it's enough to get my strength back~"

"You interfering little- " Asano started to growl, but was cut off when Karma leapt at him. Now it was the Elite's turn to be on the defensive. The red haired Vampire was fighting with such ferocity that he was almost a blur. Nagisa could actually see Karma's injuries heal before his very eyes, the skin resealing at a lightening-quick pace.  
He was even more powerful than usual, somehow. Asano didn't stand a chance.  
Within minutes, the Vampire had knocked the Elite's sword out of his hands, kicked his gun to the side, and had him pinned to the floor, his knee on top of his chest.

"Hey, hunter brat. That wasn't ordinary blood, was it?" Karma said. Nagisa held back a gasp when he noticed the Vampire's pupils were dilated, and fine tremors were running down his hands. "It had some kind of performance enhanced in it. Now why'd a human be carrying that around."

Asano glared at him, violet eyes brimming with contempt. He didn't answer, just continued his struggle to get out of the Vampire's grip. Karma narrowed his eyes then suddenly, shoved his index finger into the blond's mouth, running it under his teeth.  
"Hmm, you're teeth are sharper than the average human, but you're definitely not a vampire!- oh, you better not bite me, if you drink my blood then you really will become a Vampire." The red head said. There is something wrong with Karma- Nagisa realised suddenly, whatever was in that vial of blood had not only made him stronger, but also crueler. His mercury eyes were filled with pure malice, and his grin was too wide, too mean. The Vampire pulled Asano's sword off the floor were it lay discarded, and raised the sleek steel katana above the hunter's face.

"Didn't you threaten to cut Nagisa's eye out? I'd like to return the favour."

He plunged the sword downwards, and Nagisa realised almost too late that he wasn't bluffing, and really intended to to gauge the elite's eye out.  
"No- " He cried, running forwards- There was something really wrong with Karma! The Karma he knew would never do this! He wrapped his arms around the Vampire as if his life depended on it. He wasn't sure what was happening, but he had to bring the real Karma back!

He felt the vampire go ridged in his arms. He blinked, his mercury eyes were no longer dilated, instead they looked confused. He looked at Nagisa, then down at the sword imbedded in the floor, millimetres from Asano's face (who was still apparently in shock over being mere inches from loosing an eye).

"What was I...?" The red head breathed, the cruelty from seconds earlier dissipating from his face.

"It's okay. Your back." Nagisa said in relief.

The tower were they had battled with an elite and won was now just a distant figure in the distance. They had left Asano there, handcuffed to one of the steel loops on the wall, they'd given him his sword back so he'd be able to saw his way out in about an hour, which was more than enough time Karma and Nagisa needed to escape, (Nagisa didn't think he'd ever seen the Elite more pissed off than when he was was sat on the floor with his own handcuff around his wrist, he was like a particularly viscous dog on a leash. The smaller hunter had at least enough humanity to leave Asano's falsk of water within reaching distance.)

Currently, The blue haired boy was being carried by the Vampire (who insisted because Nagisa was injured). There was an uncomfortable silence between them, Karma was being uncharacteristically quiet. The blue haired boy wasn't sure if he was still shaken up after the drugged-blood, or if he was lamenting how easily they had walked into Asano's trap in the first place. It was an unspoken truth between the two of them, that if the Elite had been aiming to kill and not capture them, they'd both be dead.

"What was in that blood?" The hunter finally asked. Leaning his chin against Karma's shoulder. The vampire shrugged.

"I don't know, all I know is that it increased my power, and my aggression. Whatever it is, it's dangerous." He said, a grim edge to his voice. He stopped suddenly, then smiled "Oh yeah, I almost forgot!"

"What?" Nagisa questioned. The Vampire stopped in his tracks, and set the hunter down on the floor.

"I still need to heal your injuries!" He said, the usual mischief back in his voice.

"R-right now?" The blue haired boy faltered, Karma leaned close and whispered in his ear.

"Just be a good boy and stay still, okay?" The words sent a shiver down Nagisa's spine, and he felt his face flush instantly. Once again, he had this strange sense of nerves around Karma, somewhere between excitement and fear. He just knew the Vampire was making him feel this way on purpose.  
Karma rolled up Nagisa's shirt sleeve (which by now was blood-soaked and dirty), and started unwrapped the thick roll of bandages.

"Wait! What if somebody comes!" He cried.

"Relax." Karma chuckled. "I can hear them coming. Besides. You human's hardly ever come anywhere near the forrest."

"Alright- " The blue haired boy relented. He knew he had no reason to be nervous, The Vampire was only supplying medical assistance. But for some reason, his proximity made his heart race. The red head tossed away the last of the bandages, revealing semi-deep lacerations in the shape of a dog's jaw.

"You really need to stop this whole self-sacrificing thing." Karma said in disapproval. Before Nagisa could retort, however, the vampire leaned forward, and dragged his tongue along the injury. His arm started to tingle- the feeling of skin being repaired.  
The blue haired boy flinched, a blush rising to his cheeks. Seeing this, the red head pulled away from his arm, and suddenly kissed him. It was very chaste, and very quick, but it definitely happened.

"K- Karma what are you doing!?" Nagisa spluttered, his eyes wide, and his face-beat res. His heart felt as though it would burst out of his chest. The Vampire just laughed.

"Don't blame me! When you look that cute I can't help myself~ " He said in a singsong voice.

"I am not cute!" Nagisa insisted, putting a hand to his lips. He was embarrassed how worked up he was getting over one little kiss.

"Whatever you say!" Karma teased, that playful look back in his eyes. Then he stopped suddenly. "..I heard something."

Before either of them had a chance to react, there was a sudden blast of air that sent leaves and sticks whirling up into the air. In front of them, out of nowhere, stood a monster;  
It was taller than a man, with a acid-yellow globular head, beady black eyes and a wide toothy jack-o-lantern grin. It had several acid-yellow tentecal-like appendages, and appeared to be wearing some sort of black robe and mortarboard.  
Human and Vampire both started at it, mouths agape.  
"It's nice to meet you, Nagisa Shiota!" The thing said, it's seemingly permanent grin not shifting even as it spoke. "You better have a very good reason for skipping class today!"


	8. A New Path

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Korosensei joins in.

Nagisa had never been a fan of school; He had always been somewhere near the bottom of the class, and his teachers and peers never let him forget it.  
But this had to be one of the weirdest situations he'd been in at school (who was he kidding... The weirdest!).  
At the front of the class was a bright yellow tentical monster (that he could only assume was some sort of demon) and it was somehow meant to be his teacher.

But despite this said yellow abomination of reality standing at the front of the room, the entire class' attention seemed to be directed towards Nagisa himself. He could feel their stares on the back of his head, and noticed the way they all quickly looked away whenever he glanced at them.

He sat ridged in his chair, tense from all the attention. He couldn't believe he was here in the academy again (even if it was far away in the E class building), honestly, he couldn't believe anything about the situation he was currently in; It was just too absurd.

It had all started yesterday, after he and Karma had escaped Asano's clutches and found themselves being confronted by the yellow monstrosity who was currently teaching the class.  
________________________------------------------_________________________

"You better have a very good reason for skipping class today!" The being said, it's wide grinning mouth not moving as it spoke. Karma and Nagisa both stared at it in shock. The Vampire was the first to spring into action, swiftly jumping in front of the human protectively, pulling out his knife.

"What is this? Another one of the hunter brat's demon summons?" He murmured, mercury eyes narrowing.

"Hey! I'll have you know I'm not somebody's summon! I am a autonomous being!" The yellow Octopus thing fumed. Nagisa just gaped at it.

"Hey, Karma. Do you think there could of been hallucinogens in the water Asano gave me?" The blue-haired boy said, the leaves crunching under his foot as he stepped back. "Because I'm seeing something strange right now."

"I am not a hallucination!"

"It kind of seems like a hallucination." Karma agreed.

"No! No! No!" The Yellow Octopus said. It suddenly zipped from the floor to the top of a tree so fast it appeared to have teleported. It spoke in an upbeat voice. "Allow me to introduce myself; I am the ultimate super-being of destruction. I will destroy this planet in one years time unless somebody can stop me (but that isn't likely). Oh, on top of that I'm also Nagisa's teacher."

"The teachers at your school are weird." Karma stage-whispered to Nagisa.

"H- How can you be our teacher?" The Blue haired boy blanched. He had no idea what this monster thing even was!

"Oh, that's easy. I told the main Government of your land that the only way I'll stay in one place so they can attempt to assassinate me is if they let me be the class 3-E teacher at the hunting academy." The Octopus trilled. Nagisa blinked, his blue eyes full of confusion. He had learnt a lot of new, disturbing things in the past week or so, but this had to be the craziest.

"But... Why?" The blue haired boy said, slowly. The yellow monster zipped down from the tree so it was right in front of Nagisa in less than a second, leaving a flurry of leaves and debris in it's wake.

"That isn't important, Nagisa." The yellow thing said. "What's important is that if you don't come to class, I wont teach, and then there will be no chance to stop me from destroying the planet."

Before the blue haired boy had a chance to answer, Karma stepped forward, his lips growing into a grin, his mercury eyes narrowing. Despite being several feet shorter than the 7ft something so-called super-being, the Vampire still managed to give the impression he was looking down on him (it was, male, right?)

"You don't seem all that scary, Calamari." Karma said, slowly walking forwards, drawing his knife. He opened his mouth to grin, revealing a lethally sharp set of fangs. "So all I have to do is kill you and we wont have an issue, right?"

The red head dived forwards at his impossible vampire speed, skilfully brandishing his knife.

He missed the Yellow Octopus by mere inches. He swiped again, and suddenly they were sparing; Vampire vs Super-being in a fight too fast for Nagisa's eyes to follow. It was just a blur.

Everything that was happening was so sudden and so strange the hunter couldn't even process it.

Suddenly, there was a sickening sound like flesh being pierced, and Nagisa looked up to see that Karma had stabbed the monster through the head with a knife. The Vampire grinned triumphantly

"Now that was just too easy." He said. Then suddenly, the steel of the knife started to melt, turning into a runny silvery liquid that was absorbed into the creature's body.  
Karma let go of the hilt and jumped back.

"You know, metal weapons have no affect on me." The yellow octopus said, it's beady black eyes turning a flashing bright red. "I just absorb them. They actually make me stronger."

Both Nagisa's eyes widened. What the hell was this dangerous thing?

"What are you?" Karma asked, watching in horror as his weapon was destroyed. The thing ignored his question, and instead zipped forward at an impossible speed (It looked like teleportation). And the next thing either of the boys knew, Karma was being grabbed by it's appendages. They wrapped around his arms, preventing movement, one of them had hold of the chain around his Lapis Lazuli necklace.

The Vampire stood perfectly still; If this snapped, it was the end. He would go up in flames.  
"Please! No!" Nagisa cried, running forwards then stopping himself- He didn't want to provoke the thing.

"You- you were just playing with me when we were sparing, weren't you?" Karma said through gritted teeth. He wasn't sure of a way out of this one. Was he going to die?  
The things faces switched from yellow to orange for a brief second.

"You are correct!" It said, happily, it then pulled out a cardboard take-away box of noodles. "I also had enough time to get Nagisa some food. Poor boy must be starving."

To both the human and the Vampire's relief, the thing let go of Karma, and slithered over to Nagisa, holding out the food.

"Go on, take it." It said, the blue haired boy felt he had no other choice but to take the box. It was still piping hot.

"Just- how fast are you that you can get to Murmastu's ramen shop without us even noticing?" The Human asked, wide-eyed.

"I travel at a top speed of mach 20." The yellow octopus said, the ever-present grin still on it's face. . "That's twenty times the speed of light. Since we've established you can't kill me so easily, will you stop you truant behaviour?"

"I can't just go back to school!" Nagisa said, urgency in his voice. "I ran off with a vampire! And I fought with one of the academy's elite hunters! I'm a fugitive! I'm pretty sure that the Director wants to kill me!"

"That can't be right!" The Monster, there was a sly look in it's eyes. "According to your file, you were kidnapped, and you have no record of any crimes."

"But the director still knows what I've done. No record wont stop him from killing me." Nagisa said, solemnly. Karma was stood in front of him in that protective stance again, but by now they were both aware that if it wanted to, the yellow octopus could kill them, and they'd be dead before they hit the ground.

"Nagisa," The yellow thing said, it's tone now warm somehow, caring. "The director can't kill you. Since my arrival there are Government officials all over the place, and they wont let somebody with no record be unlawfully executed or arrested. And I'll always protect my students no matter what."

Nagisa looked at him,'why do I feel as if I can trust this monster' he thought to himself.

"So, what's it going to be?" The yellow thing asked him. "Will you come to class or will you be responsible for the destruction of the earth, Nagisa."

Really, despite Karma's protests, what choice did he have?

After that, Nagisa was taken to a serious-looking Government official named Mr Karasuma, who was sat in the 3-E building (a tiny wooden shack on the top of a hill covered in dense forrest).  
He looked out of place with his immaculate uniform in the dingy surroundings.

"So, you were taken by a Vampire and now you've returned." He said, sat at his desk with a mountain of paper work in front of him.

"S-something like that- " Nagisa mumbled. Said Vampire was currently outside the building, spying for any trouble.

"Don't worry." The official said in a firm tone. "Since you have no criminal record, the town has no grounds to punish you. We'll make sure of it."

Just like that, Nagisa's whole life was uprooted again; He went from being a fugitive to being enrolled in school again just like that. It was dizzying, really. He hadn't quite wrapped his head around the sudden altercations.  
It was just too sudden- A yellow octopus threatening to destroy the world if he didn't go to class? How could this be real?

"I don't trust this. It seems like a set-up." Karma said, as Nagisa left the building after his meeting. The Vampire melted out of the darkness were he had been hidden, wrapping an arm around the human's shoulder.

"What choice do we have though?" Nagisa sighed, looking to Karma then looking away suddenly, blushing. Why did he have to remember that kiss now of all times? The Vampire was so close-

"What? Your heart-rate just increased." Karma said, smirking at Nagisa (how did he go from serious to teasing in two seconds flat?).  
"It's nothing." The Human said, turning away. He felt his face heat up even more, he attempted to cover it with his hands.

The Vampire easily took Nagisa's wrists and pried his hands away from his face, laughing as he did so.

"You're being weird." He chuckled.

"Stop it." The hunter said. He tried to make it sound like a warning, but it came out more like a plea.  
Instead of letting go, Karma pulled Nagisa closer, and pressed his lips to his temple, making the hunter gasp.  
"

Just because your going to class now doesn't mean I'm gonna leave you alone, kay? You're not free of me yet!" The Vampire said with a grin, as he walked ahead, vibrant red hair a stark contrast against the shadowy forrest.

Nagisa stood still for a moment, watching him walk ahead, his heart thundering in his chest. It was probably just normal for Karma to be so intimate, it was stupid to get wound up about it, he told himself. But the hunter couldn't help the warm feeling like a jittering ball of electricity in his heart every time Karma kissed him.

It was the morning after that when Nagisa came to class, were he was sat now, the subject of whispers and rumors. He supposed he could't blame them.  
Being 'kidnapped' by a vampire was the type of thing people gossip about.  
His life had been uprooted for the second time in a few weeks, he had no idea what to expect now.

Asano finished cleaning his sword, scrubbing the last disgusting stain of vampire blood off it, then violently chucking the rag in the bin. He put the blade back in the cabinet with the rest of his weaponry.  
His room was more akin to an armory than a bedroom, there were no posters or ornaments, he didn't keep anything around that wasn't necessary. The walls were a pale listless grey colour that matched the equally dull curtains. The academy was visible from the window.

The events of that morning kept playing over and over again in his head; He had them! He could of easily disposed of that traitor Shiota and the Red devil both.

But for some unfathomable reason, he hadn't (Actually, the elite knew the reason why, he just wasn't allowing himself to acknowledge it). He just focused on being angry. How could an Elite like him suffer such a humiliating defeat?

"You better have a good reason for skipping class today." A deep baritone voice said from behind Asano, startling him. He whipped around quickly, coming face to face with the director; He was smiling, looking vaguely amused.  
(How the hell did he get in here without me noticing?)

"Of course." The Elite said, quickly regaining his composure. He stood straight, eyes ahead. "I thought that vanquishing a swarm of newly-turned vampires heading for the outskirts of town took precedent over school work."

He said the lie smoothly, with no evidence that he wasn't telling the truth. His father couldn't know what he had done- how he had failed (and how he may of broken a few laws). He just hoped the man had been too busy with whatever national crisis had been going on that had Government officials holding secret meetings with him in the academy.

"Your job is to guard the town, not go chasing after Vampires on the outskirts. That's for qualified hunters." The Chairman said. Something about his tone made Asano's blood boil. Sure, he hadn't completed the academy so he didn't have an official qualification, but he had slaughtered more filthy vampires than most veterans.

Qualified hunters were sent off to other lands to work, in order to make money for Kunugigawa, meaning the protection of the village itself was left largely to so-called novices like Asano.

"Am I in trouble for protecting the town now?" The strawberry blonde grumbled. His father laughed, it sounded brittle and humorless.

"No, no, of course not- you're in trouble for failing your mission to kill the red devil then lying about it!" The Chairman said, smile not leaving his face.

Shit.

He knew.

Asano's first reaction was to dart forward and make a grab for his sword, but the Director was faster, moving in front of the weapons cabinet with ease.

"So, you thought it was acceptable to not only break the rules and trespass onto forbidden parts of the academy, but also break a generations old law about summoning demons?" The Chairman said, despite his smile there was a wickedness behind his eyes. His posture was rigidly perfect, but he seemed moments away from snapping.

"You can't proove- " The blonde started to say.

"Non of what you did would be a problem. If you had succeeded." The Director cut him off. To an outsider, he appeared calm, but little details like the way his eyes widened and pupils dilated told Asano he was livid. "As you should of done. Your trap had no holes and they walked right into it. So why did you allow them to live?"

Asano didn't have an answer. There was nothing the Hunter could say anyway that would get himself out of this. Anything he could say would sound like an excuse. He made his violet eyes cold and unreadable.

"No answer? As I expected." The Director sighed, stood still as ever. "But I have a theory. Maybe you couldn't handle killing a human. I would be very disappointed if it turned out you were too weak to carry out your duty."

"Of course not!" Asano yelled, but he answered too quickly, too loudly. It was all the confirmation Gakuho needed. His expression darkened.

"So it is true. Problems with fighting and tactics can be mended through training. Weakness of the mind is not so easily rectified." The Director said, menacingly taking a step forwards. "This world is ruthless, so you must be ruthless if you don't wish to perish. Humans are just as capable of destroying you as the vampires are, if you're unable to kill them, you really are useless. Especially given your position."

"I'm not weak. I could kill a human, I could kill anyone that got in my way!" The Hunter shouted, denying the truth to his father and to himself.

But he knew it was a lie; Murdering a human and murdering a natural-born vampire was nothing like killing a turned.

Asano had killed more turned Vampires than he cared to remember, and he'd never felt anything for them- Not for the caged Vampires he'd killed as a child during training, not when he was slicing their heads off, or dragging them out into the sun during daylight then watching them burn to a crisp before his eyes, not even if they were people he knew as humans.

Even if they screamed, begged and cried he still didn't feel any remorse.

Because they were monsters, not people.  
Turned Vampires lived for blood and nothing else, often killing their own family members in pursuit of nourishment. They lost their ability think and talk normally. They became wild beasts, a twisted caricature of their human self.  
Killing them was the only option, like chopping off a diseased limb before it could infect the rest of the body.

There were very few turned Vampires who didn't succumb to complete insanity.

Asano thought he'd feel the same way about Nagisa and Karma (A human content with being livestock and another filthy vampire- let me put them out of their misery).  
He had been waiting for them when they had broken into the basement of the academy that evening; He knew they'd come.

From a space behind the wall, he could follow them easily, making sure that they walked straight into the trap were his summons were waiting. Asano had felt almost giddy with excitement- He was finally going to kill them!

He listened to their conversation as he followed them silently from behind the wall. It was nothing like he imagined; He assumed they would have some sort of twisted master-servant relationship, but they honestly just sounded like two friends. They seemed to actually care about each other.

It suddenly dawned on Asano that this time he wasn't killing monsters, he would be murdering people. The thought made him feel sick, he quickly tried to push it away. Then the two of them started talking about executions;

"Yeah- at school, sometimes the other kids used to carry out 'executions'. Really it was just an excuse to bully someone." The hunter said as they walked, he was still holding hands with the vampire "They'd usually pick a kid who was a loner or something, and make them the 'vampire'. Then they would beat them up, and that'd be the execution."

"Did they ever do that to you?" Karma asked,a flare of protectiveness in his voice.

"No- the bullies never even noticed me." The hunter said, there was a small smile on his face."Well, besides one time a few years ago." He admitted. "- I was walking home a few years ago when I saw some older students beating up a kid my age. I knew they'd turn on me for it but I had to intervene. I was lucky, really, they didn't hit me too hard- perhaps they knew that they'd already gone too far with the first boy."

It couldn't be.

An old, long buried memory had filled his head;

When he first joined the academy, his abilities were so far above the other children's, so it was only natural rumors about him being a vampire would surface.

He ignored it, most of the time, the other kids were just jealous.

But Asano had underestimated just how far the rumors spread. He wasn't prepared for a group of older boys to ambush him on the way back from school.

He had ended up being completely at the mercy of their 'execution game'. It had felt hopeless until a blue-eyed girl (or at least he had thought it was a girl) intervened. Even when they threatened her, she hadn't backed down. That 'girl' had been Nagisa all along?

It shouldn't matter, something that happened years ago shouldn't affect Asano's actions now, he had told himself, but as the Vampire and the Human made their way through the labyrinth, and the blond followed silently, the feeling of discontent grew. There was an uncomfortable churning in his chest, and he felt a sickening uncertainty he wasn't used to;

He was going to kill people.

But he had to.

He was going to kill a human, a child, really.

By the time Shiota and the Red devil reached the door, Asano was in turmoil. He could feel the sinister intent of the demons he summoned in the other room.

The darkness coming from those abominations, the demon dogs, was almost tangible. He could feel it in the air.  
The thought of Nagisa being ripped to shreds by one of them filled Asano's mind. He tried to block it out- it had to be done. He wasn't weak, he could do this!

(Silently, he hoped and wished that Nagisa and Karma would turn back).

But they didn't, they opened the door.

The demon dogs were as brutal and as viscous as he imagined. They were merciless, even the Vampire could only just hold them off.

His plan was working, but Asano only felt despair. The stench of the demon dog was heavy in the air like festering flesh.  
Nagisa was bitten.

From behind the wall, Asano could see the demon tearing through the small boys arm. He had to stop himself from intervening then and there. (He had to let them die).

Demon dog's attack whatever they see, even though he summoned them, Asano couldn't intervene without calling them off, or else he'd be killed too.

Even if he wanted to, just saving Nagisa and leaving The Red devil to the dog's mercy wasn't an option.

He watched as Nagisa began to succumb to the sedative effects of the poison, and the Red devil tried to hold off the Demon dogs, getting bloodied and beaten in the process.

The Vampire was sacrificing himself to save Nagisa. Why? It didn't make any sense, Vampires only ever really care about themselves, wasn't he going too far just to protect his blood supply?  
I'm going to murder these two people.

Demon dog venom was poison for humans. If he didn't get an antidote, Nagisa was going to be killed.

Something about his body lying there, still as a corpse, small and bleeding made his heart clench.

Suddenly, Asano couldn't take it any more. Without even thinking about it, he took his knife and made a shallow slice on his hands.  
"Vanquish." He muttered under his breath.

Within seconds, the demon dogs dropped to the floor with a thud like the corpses they were.

He smashed through the old crumbling wall with relative ease, and grabbed Nagisa's half conscious body off the floor.

Around the corner, he could here light foot-steps of the Vampire approaching. He had been injured, but not drastically. And he still had Nagisa's blood flowing through his veins.

Asano wouldn't win a fight against the vampire, especially not in the dark.  
So instead, he took Nagisa and left, lifting the boy onto his back. Asano could smell the blood from his wound.  
'What the hell have. I done, I could of killed them'.

He bit his hand in frustration, making his way through the academy's secret tunnels towards the chemistry room were potions were kept. Nagisa's dead weight on his back reminded him of what he had just done, the mistake he had made.

He wasn't sure if he was regretting saving him or making the plan in the first place. Right now, The red devil was probably in the bowels of the academy frantically searching for Nagisa.  
Asano reached the chemistry room, crawling out of the secret passage on his hands and knee's, pulling Nagisa out after him.

The academy was empty as he expected. The Elite quickly scoured the cupboards, pulling out the antidote, along with a few other vials; Vervain, Hemlock, foxglove,

As quickly as he could, his brain started to hash out a new plan; The Vampire clearly cares about Nagisa, he could use him as bait! He just needed to find some abandoned place on the outskirts of town to use!  
It was a last minute frantic plan. Asano half knew it would fail. He hadn't released his own weakness before, but he was a hunter, not a killer.

Now, he was stood in front of his father. The man probably knew exactly what had happened, more or less.

"You know, I don't keep around weapons I don't have any use for." The Chairman said. That madness within his eyes was seconds from being unleashed.  
"I will kill them." Asano said, more to himself than anyone else, as the Director walked towards him. "This will be the last time I let weakness stand in my way- "


	9. The Devil you Know

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Really need to proof-read this..)

"Nagisa! I don't believe it you're actually alive!" Nakamura cried, pulling Nagisa into a tight hug.

"He wont be for much longer if you keep suffocating him like that." Sugino said, but there was a wide relieved grin on his face. He kept looking at Nagisa like he wasn't sure he was real. "It's good to have you back, man, we were worried!"  
Nagisa smiled at him- he really had missed these guys.  
It was lunch break at 'school' (if you could even call this farce that). As soon as the yellow being of mass destruction left the classroom, Nagisa's old friends had pounced on him.

"How did you escape the vampire?" Rio questioned.

"Did you kill him?" Sugino asked.

"No- they would of announced it if the Red Devil had been killed." Isogai said, walking over. He ruffled Nagisa's hair. "Don't feel pressured into telling us about your ordeal if you don't want to."

"Really, it wasn't like that." Nagisa tried to say, he struggled to think of how to describe it to make them understand that the Vampires aren't always the bad guys. But they were like he was a few weeks ago, thinking 'Vampires are Evil, Hunters are good'. As if the world was all black and white.

It didn't make it any easier that everyone, even the people who weren't his friends, were listening intently to what he was saying. The room was deadly silent apart from their voices. Everyone was inclined towards him, watching him intently.  
They all wanted to know what Vampire boy had to say.  
Their faces were filled with either pity or scorn. Terasaka was nearly outright sneering at him.

"Excuse me, were you really kidnapped by a vampire?" Nagisa turned around to see a tiny green haired girl he didn't recognise. She looked up at him with with wide golden eyes. She looked a few years younger than the rest of the class.

"Ah- sorry, my name is Kaede Kayano, I just moved into this village. I'm meant to be in first year, but my hunting skills were so poor my teacher said I might as well be sent here."

"I- I'm sorry to hear that." Nagisa said, surprised. Teachers could throw students into E class during any stage of the academy, but it was usually only done at the end of the penultimate year. Kicking them out before was just excessively cruel, even by this academy's standards.

"Alright, cut the chitchat," Terasaka said, suddenly, his chair clattering to the floor as he stood up and made his way over to Nagisa, a threatening aura about him. He towered over the blue haired boy. "Lets not pretend otherwise- We all wanna know what happened. What was the red devil like? What did he make you do? Gory details, n' all!"

"Terasaka, leave him be!" Isogai scolded, trying to tug the brute of a boy away from Nagisa. But he was like a boulder that didn't budge.

"It's fine." The blue haired hunter said, looking up at Terasaka with strangely calm blue eyes- This guy wasn't as scary as Asano and definitely not as terrifying as the demon dogs. Nagisa could deal with this. "What happened was, the Red Devil- no, Karma, saved me. And he's trying to save all of us."  
The class looked at him silently, dumbfounded, as if trying to work out if he was joking or not.  
The blue haired boy continued.

"This academy has been using people, specifically those deemed 'worthless' in E class as experiments." He said, desperation seeping into his voice. He wanted to get them to understand, but he felt like he was yelling at a brick wall; They were all completely closed off to him.

"Nagisa... that's... " Isogai started to say, even he looked disbelieving. His eyes were full of pity.

"That's complete bullshit!" Terasaka declared, other members of the class nodded in agreement. "The squirt's been completely brain-washed by that Vampire. His mind must be as weak as his body."

"Don't be a jerk!" Kayano snapped at him. Nagisa sighed and looked the other way- he felt isolated, nobody believed him and they all thought he was crazy. Once again he was helpless to do anything.  
Suddenly, there was a sound like a whip cracking, and the yellow octopus burst back into the classroom.

"Helloo boys and girls, I'm back!"

There was a mixture of groans and greetings from the class, who all shuffled back too their seats. Why would a monster be masquerading as a teacher anyway? Was he trying to collect their souls or something? It made no sense.

At the end of the day, Nagisa got up to leave. School was exhausting, but he had to admit he had learned quite a lot; Geography, History, Literacy. Things that weren't normally taught to kids after they turned eleven and entered the hunter's academy. But the yellow monster wanted them to have a 'second blade', so to speak.

"There's a whole world outside this village!" He told them.

"There wont be if you blow it up." Rio retorted.

A world outside of hunting. Nagisa had never really thought of it. He stepped outside the ramshackle building a little behind the other kids- Isogai, Nakamura and Sugino had been hovering over him a lot throughout the day, they seemed strangely protective. The blue haired boy wasn't complaining, it was nice that they cared about him, but if he wanted to find a way to sneak off and find Karma he had to loose them.

Despite everything though, Nagisa couldn't help but be a dissapointed in himself that he'd been put into E class. He had known for a while that he'd be put into E-class, but despite everything he couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. He's grown up seeing how E class students were stigmatised and outcasted. The negative associations were drilled into him at this point.  
The hunter's academy took on pupils from the ages of 11-16. The lowest scoring pupils in their fourth year, were placed in E-class during the last trimester of the second-to-last school year.  
It was called the 'trial period'. If the E class students managed to score within the top fifty pupils during the final hunting examination, then they could return to the main academy for the final year of school.  
Of course, the E class pupils had such poor resources and trainers so most years went by without a single pupil escaping. Instead, they were doomed to spend their final year as outcasts, and once they graduated, they'd forever be marked as an inferior hunter, forced to do the most undesirable missions.  
E-class served as a reminder for hunters of the consequences of failure.

"Hey. Pipsqueak." A gruff voice called out, breaking Nagisa from his train of thought. Blue eyes flicked over to see the Larger boy leaning against the side of the building, flanked by his two cronies Murmatsu and Yoshida.

Are they going to try terrorise me again? The blue haired hunter wondered, looking up at him. The guy was bigger than both Asano and Karma, but Nagisa didn't want to seem intimidated.  
"Yeah?"

"You know we get a billion coin reward if we kill that monster, right?" The brute said, a greedy grin spreading across his face that was mirrored by his two cronies. "We have a plan. But we've decided to be nice and let you in on it." he put an arm around Nagisa as if they were buddies. The smaller boy cringed away. The look in his green eyes instantly set Nagisa on edge- This guy had bad intentions of some sort, he was sure of it.

"What is it?" He asked warily. "If it's something you don't want to do yourself it must be dangerous, right?"  
Murmatsu and Yoshida chuckled.

"You heard what the octopus said; The whole plant's on the line here- you aren't willing to put yourself in a little danger for the sake of the whole world?" Tersaka grunted. Even though he knew he was being manipulated, Nagisa couldn't help the reflex of guilt. "Show a little self-sacrafice. I thought you was sayin' before you wanted to save everyone."  
"I don't know.." Nagisa said, shying away from the bully. He would  
put his life on the line to save others, but the blue haired boy wasn't sure he could trust any plan of Terasaka's.  
The bully handed Nagisa something heavy and metal. "C'mon, at least allow me to explain the details..."

After Terasaka explained his plan, Nagisa left, a heavy weight around his neck. He wasn't sure what to do, exactly.  
I'll talk it over with Karma at the place he promised to meet me after school.  
He'll know what to do.  
Just thinking about the flame-haired vampire made Nagisa feel more at ease. He would know exactly what course to take.  
He walked to the edge of the forrest, which was currently bathed in a brilliant orange-gold from the sunset, and sat atop the stump of a large tree and waited..

And waited...

And waited...  
The warm sunset colours melted away into a dark and icy evening. Frost started to coat the tops of leaves, and a fridged wind made Nagisa shiver. He was starting to feel abandoned, his earlier feelings of hope ebbing away.

A dark figure approached him. Instinctively, the blue haired boy stood up, a smile on his face "Karma- "

"It's dangerous to be out here this late." A voice that wasn't the Vampire's interrupted. It was Mr Karasuma, the Government official.

Nagisa looked at him, surprised slightly. He didn't know much about this guy but he seemed to exude professionalism and authority. "It's almost night time. I suggest you leave. We have informed your mother of your return and she is waiting for you."

The blue haired boy felt a flicker of fear at the mention of his mother. And even if he was hours late, Nagisa still wanted to wait for Karma. But with a Government official surveilling him now, it wouldn't be safe for him to meet the vampire.

"Okay." The Blue haired hunter complied, standing up reluctantly.

"Good choice." Karasuma said, fixing him a look with his coal black eyes.

Nagisa could hear his heart battering against his chest as he walked up to the door; How was it that he was just as terrified now as when he was confronting Asano?  
His mother may only be a average middle-aged woman that Nagisa could likely beat in a fight right now, but in front of her he felt like the helpless child he used to be, weak and completely at her mercy.  
Taking in a gulp of air and stealing his nerves, he unlocked the door and stepped through.

"Mother... I'm home." He said. He felt the fear grip his throat with icy hands, his voice came out weak and croaky.

"Nagisa!" His mother cried out; She had been waiting in the little sitting room by the door, tears grew in her eyes when she saw him. "That Government official said you'd be coming home! Oh! I missed you!"

She dived forwards and caught her son in a bone-crunching hug before he could do anything her shoulder, Nagisa could see the house was immaculately tidy, the scent of disinfectant hung in the air, there wasn't a single item out of was a bad sign. The more stressed his mother was, the more time she devoted to in her embrace, Nagisa almost gagged on the overwhelming smell of her perfume, and he could see her hair was thinning from over-washing.

He expected it when she suddenly pushed him away harshly, her expression no longer teary, but rather, a mask of rage.

"What were you thinking! Making your hard-working mother worry like that!" She screeched, no trace of the tender woman from seconds earlier. She grabbed a fistful of Nagisa's blue hair. "I do EVERYTHING for you! And this is how you repay me!?"  
I have to calm her down.

"Mother, I'm sorry, I didn't- " Nagisa started, but was cut off when Hiromi started dragging him down the hall. He had learned how to subside his mother's rages, but nothing would appease her this time.

"Ungrateful little brat! Disobeying me and letting a vampire take you! What were you thinking!?" She ranted, as she dragged Nagisa by the hair down to the bathroom. "You could of been killed! You would of left me all alone after all I've done for you! You stupid child!"

The blue haired boy had no choice but to withstand the assault.

"I'm sorry." He gasped out again. Then realised his mother was holding him over the bath, which was filled to the brim with water. The stench of disinfectant coming from it was overpowering, making Nagisa dizzy as his mother held his head over it.

"I'm going to teach you a lesson. Let's see if this can clean your filthy soul, Nagisa." His mother hissed harshly in her son's ear, her grip on his hair tightening. All of a sudden, the blue haired boy realised exactly what Hiromi intended to do.

I could easily throw her off me. If it came to a physical fight, I know I could win.

The thoughts ran through the boy's head desperately, but his body refused to move as if he was genetically programmed to defer to his mother.  
He surrendered himself to his fate, as his mother pulled him to the floor, then shoved his head under the water.

"I'm glad you've learned your lesson, Nagisa. You're just a hopeless child who doesn't know what he's doing. Don't worry, I'll always be here to guide you." His mother crooned, she smoothed his hair back as the blue haired boy lay in bed.

His eyes were still blood-shot and stinging after his punishment, and his body felt weak and exhausted. The now-sickening smell of disinfectant still hung in the air, making the boy's head reel.

"My poor little Nagisa. You must be so tired, aren't you?" Hiromi simpered. She was always like this; After a punishment she would turn into a loving but smothering mother, and dote over her child.

As soon as she finished repeatedly dunking Nagisa's head in the bath until he was on the verge of passing out, a switch was flicked, and she became a caring parent. She lead Nagisa to his room and helped him change into his bed clothes (a female night gown, he was too exhausted to protest.) and tied his hair down in bows.

She had always wanted a daughter. Yet another expectation of her's Nagisa couldn't reach.

"Well, good night, my sweet daughter." Hiromi said, Nagisa felt a rush of relief when she got up to leave.

"Good night mother." He replied obediently. Lying in bed wearing the night gown he despised, unable to stand up to his mother, Nagisa felt pathetic.  
For a while, when he had been with Karma, Nagisa had started to feel as if did have power, as if his life was worth something, and he had the potential to do great things.  
But now, he saw himself for what he really was; Worthless.  
He thought about Terasaka's words earlier in the day; He was right. Sacrificing himself for the greater good was the only way Nagisa's life. could have any meaning.

The next day, class seemed to pass in a blur. Nagisa was shocked by how calm he could act when his pulse was racing, palms sweating, and his mind reeling with the possibilities of what could happen.

He could be badly burned at best, killed at worst.  
But he couldn't prioritise his safety over the safety of the world.

The grenade felt cold and icy against his skin, a heavy weight against his chest like a tumour around his heart.

He had to do this.

Had to.

Had to.  
Despite his fear, the blue haired boy managed to keep his wits about him, and continued to observe the lesson, looking for an opening.

"Any questions?" The yellow super-being asked, after explaining something about the maths lesson they were doing today; It was addition.  
Kayano, the tiny green haired girl, raised her hand.

"Sensei, I have a question!" She called out, waving a hand in the air. She smiled when he turned to her. "What's your name?"

The being faltered. "Ah!? Well.. Uh.. That's." He stumbled over his words- So even super-beings got flustered. "My name isn't just something you tell people easily... Maybe you could think of a name?"

This was it- He was distracted - Now was Nagisa's chance.

The blue haired boy stood up out of his desk, a neutral expression on his face.

"Oh. Do you perhaps have a question, Nagisa?" The creature asked. The hunter didn't answer, he just calmly walked over to the octopus, as if it was the most normal thing in the world, and grabbed him around the neck, thrusting his weight forward so that the both of them fell back.  
This was it.

He'd blow up both himself and the superbeing in the process.

He'd finally do something.

Nagisa couldn't help the bittersweet smile that came to his face, as a loud explosion filled his ears, and everything went black.


	10. Opening eyes.

The Chairman laced his hands under his chin, his cold violet eyes peering down at the students below from behind the window in his office at the academy.

They looked like tiny insects, milling about in their dark uniforms.

Well. Things certainly had changed in this past month; It started with the arrival of the red devil, a mysterious pest of a vampire who instead of just attacking people, was apparently trying to uncover the academy's secrets. Of course, that couldn't be allowed.

The Chairman wouldn't let any Vampire escape him- especially not a natural born. They were the worst of all. And judging by the Vampire's red hair, he was part of that family- the one the Chairman had vowed to eradicate. Now, some sort of demonic super-being had arrived, claiming it had been the one behind the destruction of several nearby villages. The whole world was next unless they followed it's demands. For whatever reason, he wanted to teach E class, and had brought a whole host of Government officials with him.

They were the Chairman's scapegoat class, the ones that had to be sacrificed for the greater of the school- for all of humanity. That octopus might think he can keep them safe just because he is there teacher now, but the Chairman would prove him wrong. It didn't matter who or what was involved, the E class had to be sacrificed.

And perhaps it was time he got his son involved too, make him get over that ridicules aversion he had for killing humans.

________________

White. Pure bright, blinding light and an impossibly loud roar of an explosion.

Then darkness.

Nagisa awoke to ringing in his ears, and the concerned faces of his classmates hovering above him- he waited for the pain to kick in, but it never did. He sat up, pulling a strange thin see-through cover off himself.

'I'm... Okay? After that explosion. He couldn't see or feel any burns, how could he be fine after that?

"What the hell is this membrane?" Terasaka declared, with a confused scowl glaring at the thin film-like cover as if it had personally offended him. The yellow monster- their teacher, was gone.

"Did we get him?" A few murmurs ran through the class. They all looked as shocked and confused as Nagisa felt.

"What is the meaning of this?" A voice growled. It sounded so dark, so full of fury it took the class a moment to realise it was their teacher speaking, who moments ago sounded so peppy and so cheerful. Slowly, Nagisa looked up. He felt a sick fear knot in his stomach similar to when he faced the demon dogs- clinging to the ceiling like a demented spider, face pitch black and exuding pure rage was their teacher.

"Terasaka- was this your doing?"

Terasaka looked as if he was about to wet himself, the class' eyes collectively widened in horror. A few people even jumped up out of their chairs, as if that was any defence against a Mach 20 monster. Without waiting for a reply, the monster jetted off at an impossible speed, and returned just as quick at he had left, a dark blur bursting into the classroom. Nestled in his appendages were pieces of wood. It took Nagisa a moment to recognise them as the house name plates of class members;

Terasaka,

Murmatsu,

Yoshida,

Isogai,

Shiota,

All of them piled up on each other, like tiny grave stones.

"My agreement with the Government was not to harm the members of this class. But that doesn't include family, friends- the whole world besides you." The monster snarled, his eyes practically red and glowing. He must be pissed they tried to kill him! Suddenly, the enormity if the task placed on them hit Nagisa. The rest of the class seemed to feel the same way.

"B-but we were only trying to defend ourselves! We don't want you to blow us up! Of course we're gonna try take you out!" Terasaka yelled, trying and failing not to sound terrified (Nagisa didn't blame him). It was like a switch was flicked- faster than the eye could see, their teacher's face transformed from the pitch-black mask of fury, to his usual wide grin.

With that goofy expression in place, it was hard to believe the teacher had expressed such anger in the first place.

"That is correct. You trying to kill me is only natural. But none of you seemed to care about Nagisa's well-being. Not even Nagisa himself." The teacher said. He placed one of his long yellow appendages on Nagisa's head. "Although I have to say, Nagisa, your skill in carrying out that assassination was excellent. I think we may of found a natural."

Nagisa blushed slightly, a warm feeling filling him. Acceptance and Approval weren't things he were used to.

"I've thought of a name for you!" The small green haired girl, Kayano, cried out. "Koro-Sensei; As in Korosenine- 'Un-Killable!"

The creature, now dubbed Korosensei, nodded in approval. "Excellent! I'm so happy my pupil named me!" He said. "I can see I have some fine pupils here; Pupils strong enough to come in the top fifty in the hunter tournament!"

The class suddenly looked shocked.

"But that's in a few weeks!"

"Hardly any E class students ever come in the top fifty- let alone all of us, that's crazy!"

"Fear not, class." Korosensei said. "With my training, and the Government's protection, there's nothing to stop each and every one of you from achieving excellence!"

Nagisa left school feeling somehow lighter that day, as if a weight had been lifted off of him as he walked down the forrest road down the mountain. But then something still wasn't right. Where was Karma? He couldn't of been killed or caught by the hunters- word would be out about it in an instant! So what then... Had he gotten bored and just left? No, he wouldn't, right, right?

Then suddenly, as if Nagisa's thoughts alone had summoned him, Karma appeared from the darkness of the forrest, looking paler than usual, and haggard. Nagisa gaped at him in shock, but before the hunter got the chance go say a word, the red haired Vampire wordlessly pulled him into a tight hug.

Nagisa tensed for a moment against Karma, before relaxing as a wave of relief washed over him. He breathed in the scent of spices that had now become familiar to him. He felt himself flush, a warm feeling enveloped him.

"Where have you been?" He asked softly into Karma's chest. "You look starving."

Karma let out a dark chuckle. "That dark haired Government human- Karasuma." He said. "He seems to think that I'm a danger to you, so him and his team have been trying to keep you 'safe' from me by keeping me away. I only just managed to slip away."

That made sense- but Nagisa couldn't blame Karasuma, as frustrating at this situation was, he knew how he and Karma looked from the outside to others. People saw him as a victim and Karma as a monster.

Still. He wished they'd believe him.

Nagisa stepped away slightly, and looked up into Karma's mercury eyes, recognising the hunger in them- the bloodlust edging into his expression.

"Drink my blood." The hunter said, a small smile on his face. He was so glad Karma was back. The Vampire's face split into a wide grin.

"I don't think I'll ever get tired of you offering yourself to me." Karma snickered. Nagisa felt himself blush.

"Shut up." He muttered, embarrassed. Karma just grabbed his waist, and pulled him back against one of the trees. He leaned close, and Nagisa could feel the Vampire's breath against his neck, making him shiver.

Why do I have to feel this way? It isn't normal!

Once again, he was sure Karma was doing this purposefully slow just to tease him. Before biting him, the Vampire pressed his lips against Nagisa's neck, kissing it softly. The hunter was unable to suppress the whimper that escaped his mouth. Okay, now Karma was definitely teasing him!

"J-just get on with it!" He cried, the strange tingly feeling almost overwhelming.

He felt The vibration on his skin as Karma laughed against him, before he plunged his fangs in. There was the familiar sharp sting, then the unnatural wave of pleasure. Nagisa instinctively gripped Karma's shirt while the Vampire tightened his hold on the hunter's waist.

"What now?" Nagisa asked, adjusting his collar after Karma finished drinking from him and had healed the wound. Part of him wanted to ask about this kiss earlier, but he was too embarrassed to even bring it up. "Because our new teacher, Korosensei, is here there's Government officials everywhere, so the Chairman wont be able to use the E class for experiments so easily. Still. I want to expose the academy's secrets to the world."

"Huh? Korosensei? So you named that yellow Octopus thing?" Karma said, laughing slightly before fixing Nagisa a serious look. "But I feel the same. I'm not letting that monster get away with what he's done."

The Vampire and the Hunter walked down the mountain together side-by-side discussing ways they could bring the Chairman down and expose the academy's secrets, but they kept coming to dead-ends. They knew they had to be more careful, after the way they had fallen into Asano's trap last time.

"I don't know why, but I feel as though Korosensei will believe me." Nagisa said, remembering the way the super-being had looked him in the eyes after his assassination attempt. "About the academy and about you."

"You seriously trust that octopus?" Karma asked raising an eyebrow.

"Well, I already trust a Vampire, so I can't get much worse." Nagisa teased. Karma laughed, then stopped suddenly, his eyes training in on Nagisa's arm. He noticed the finger-print shaped bruises dotting the smaller boy's wrist, the ones his mother had gave him.

"How did you get those?" Karma asked, his tone dark, that protective streak flaring up. It took Nagisa a moment to realise what he meant.

"Th- these?" The blue haired boy spluttered, tugging his shirt down to cover his wrist and averted his gaze. "N-nowhere! I walked into a door."

He wasn't exactly sure why he was lying- partially because he was afraid of the truth himself, partially because he was ashamed that he was at the mercy of his own mother. Karma grabbed him and tilted his chin, forcing their eyes to meet so Nagisa couldn't look away.

"Why are you lying?" Karma asked, his voice cold and deadly. "Tell me who hurt you."

Nagisa squirmed, feeling trapped- Karma's glare was so penetrating, he felt exposed in front of him.

"My mother did it." Nagisa said finally, glancing the other way. "She wasn't...too happy... about me disappearing."

The Vampire was suddenly silent; Even he was thrown by that situation. If it were another elite or a bully hurting Nagisa, he'd have no problem teaching them a lesson, but his mother was a different matter. Karma knew, that even if Nagisa's mother was awful to him, he still wouldn't want to see her hurt. The Vampire let go of Nagisa's chin.

"I don't mind.. Really." Nagisa said, looking to the side, that look of defeat Karma hated so much back in his eyes. "I just have to do what she wants me to and I'm fine."

"Nagisa." Karma said, his tone even but his eyes full of fire. "That's no way to live. Come with me again- you can still go to school."

"Karma, I can't.. She's still my family. I saw how bad me leaving messed her up last time. I don't want to do that to her again."

"Why not?" The Vampire asked. "Who cares how she feels, she's hurting you."

"Don't you have a family?" Nagisa asked, then suddenly realised that he had no idea about Karma's family.. He had mentioned having parents in passing, but he'd also implied that he'd been travelling by himself for years when he was only 17 now.

Karma looked surprised for a moment, before his face morphed into a frown and he answered.

"I used to have a family." He said bitterly. "The Akabane family was a great nobel vampire clan. We stretched back generations. I had aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, great-grandparents.."

He trailed off, looking somewhere in the distance.

"What happened..?" Nagisa asked softly.

"A hunter killed them all when I was seven years old." Karma said, fire in his mercury eyes. "The killer even slaughtered the defenceless children, my cousins. He ransacked the place and stole our family heirlooms and Lapis-Lazuli of my family's dead fingers. Only me and my parents survived because we weren't at the house that day.."

Karma looked away, clearly remembering this was something painful for him.

"After that, my Parents decided the outside world 'wasn't safe' for me, so they kept me locked up in one of their mansion with the butler while they went off traveling." He said, then grinned. "But I guess I got bored, because I escaped to go travelling too."

"I'm sorry you had to go through that." Nagisa said- he had no idea that Karma had such a bloody past, and had basically been abandoned by his parents.

"It was a long time ago now- ten years." Karma said, although it was clear from his expression he still wasn't over it. "But if I ever found out the hunter behind my family's massacre.. There'll be hell to pay."

His voice had a sinister edge that sent a shiver down Nagisa's spine.

"I need to go home." He said in a small voice. Karma glared.

He wrapped his arms around the hunter's waist possessively.

"Back to that woman who hurt you?" The Vampire hissed into his ear. "Stay."

"Back to my mother." Nagisa confirmed. He gave a smile devoid of happiness. "I have to now- things have changed and I can't just run away anymore."

He wished he could stay in Karma's arms forever, but he couldn't. He broke free from Karma's grasp, and the vampire let him.

"Don't go, Nagisa. Let me protect you." Karma said. Nagisa felt a stab of both longing and guilt. He wanted to go back with Karma to his hideout and be with him. But he couldn't.

"Sorry, Karma." Nagisa said, starting to leave, before suddenly, turning back and kissing Karma on the lips quickly.

He wasn't sure why he did it- he just hated seeing Karma look so conflicted, so he tried to cheer him up on instinct.

Nagisa blushed bright red when he realised what he had done.

"S-So I'll see you tomorrow." He spluttered before suddenly rushing off, embarrassed.

Karma watched him go, his own cheeks tinged pink. He smirked slightly, touching his lips. 'He's seriously too cute. But I really wont let him go home if he shows up with any more bruises..'

Life moved quick after that; Nagisa's mother was as high-strung as ever, but she hadn't been violent again (for now) and she stayed calm usually, as long as the blue haired boy followed her every command. Being around her made him feel so weak and helpless, but he hardly had time to reflect on that any more;

The Super-being, Koro-Sensei, was serious about getting the E class to pass their exams. He had been training them non-stop on both academics and hunting techniques.

He wasn't like the teachers back at the academy though; He actually took the time to explain things so everyone understood, rather than just focusing on the best members of the class. Nagisa still didn't get it though; If he wanted to destroy everything, why was Korosensei spending his time teaching them?

Out of school, Nagisa and Karma were both trying to find ways to expose the academy, but it wasn't easy; Every plan they had together seemed to run into a dead-end.

"They've tightened security on the forbidden parts of the Academy, plus with that dumb exam thing you have the place is always crawling with students at all hours. I can't sneak in." Karma told him one day, a week or so after Nagisa had rejoined the school as they sat under a tree together. They hadn't kissed again, but Karma was as touchy-feely as always. Nagisa hadn't worked up the courage to ask exactly what their relationship was yet. 'Friends' would be the easy answer, but did friends kiss, share blood, have this deep connection after such a short time?

"They'll slip up, they have to-" Nagisa insisted, although he felt as though he was convincing himself more than Karma. "I get the feeling the only one who really knows the academy's secrets is the Chairman- One person can't keep a secret that big forever."

"You know." Karma said, leaning his head on Nagisa's shoulder and picking a twig off the ground and snapping it. "We would have more time to work out a solution together if you stopped playing along with that demon's game of 'playing teacher'."

Nagisa sighed- this was one thing they just couldn't agree on.

"It isn't that simple." Nagisa said. "Killing Korosensei is just as important as exposing the academy."

"Korosensei? You named it?" The vampire scoffed, rolling his violet eyes. "We could work out a way to kill him together, without you having to sit in his damn classroom everyday. I can't protect you there, and I don't trust those Government officials or that so-called teacher."

Nagisa gave him a weary smile. "You really don't take well to authority figures, do you, Karma?" He observed.

"I guess you could say that." The Vampire muttered, half-pouting. He looked like a petulant child, Nagisa couldn't help but think that despite being an incredibly powerful and feared vampire, he was pretty cute.

"Well, Mr Karasuma and Korosensei aren't going to hurt me. I really believe that." Nagisa said. He sat up straight, looking Karma dead in the eyes, determination in his gaze. Blue met mercury and both felt the familiar fizzle of electricity pass between them. "Karma, I wish I could leave this all behind again and live with you again in the hideout, but I can't run away from this any more."

Karma opened his mouth, and Nagisa thought he was going to argue his point some more, but instead he pulled the blue haired boy into a tight embrace.

"Hey!"

"Heh. You are so adorable when you get all intense and determined. I guess we'll have to do things your way." The Vampire chuckled, ruffling the hunter's hair. Nagisa felt his face flush.

"Take me seriously, damnit!"

Suddenly, the scene was interrupted by the metallic clang of a sword being drawn, and heavy foots steps signalling an attack.

Nagisa's eyes widened. His first thought was 'Asano' but the movements of the figures approaching from the shadows were a little too slow and a little too clumsy to be him. Karma reacted instantaneously- he stood up quickly, pushing Nagisa behind himself protectively just as the attackers burst through the trees.

There, brandishing their hunter's weapons was Rio Nakamura, Terasaka, Isogai, Maehara and Kataoka. They were arguably the five strongest hunters in E class. A little behind them stood tiny Kayano, almost dwarfed by her sword.

Nagisa looked at them confused- what were they doing?

"Unhand Nagisa, Vampire, we wont accept you using him for his blood anymore." Kataoka exclaimed with a firm and authoritative voice.

"We wont allow anyone from our class to be hurt, so just leave him alone before we have to resort to violence." Isogai pleaded, always the peace-maker. Ah- so this was what this was about; The rest of the class thought Karma was a danger to Nagisa and was using him. They still thought it was impossible for a Vampire to be anything but a evil monster who preyed on humans. The academy's teachings had been well drilled into them, and Nagisa himself had been like that not too long ago.

Karma's eyes narrowed an the insinuation, his grip on Nagisa's hand tightened. He was used to being seen as a monster by now, but it still irked him, especially when he was trying to help these kids.

"So, the brave little hunters have come to save the damsel in distress from the big bad blood-sucker." The Vampire cooed with a mocking tone, a twisted humorless grin marring his face.

"That's the gist of it." Rio Nakamura said, hand on her sword, her long blond hair blowing in the wind, unlike the rest of the hunters, she had a confident smirk on her lips.

She was easily one of the best hunters in E class. She had been a prodigy hunter as a child, but after some jealous classmates had decided she must be a 'Vampire' because she was better than them, she was subjected to bullying and the 'execution game'. Gradually, she started under-performing so she wouldn't stand out. But now, under Korosensei's tutelage she'd flourished.

"You've got it all wrong!" Nagisa cried, although he already knew they'd likely dismiss him as brainwashed. "Karma isn't trying to hurt me, he's trying to help me. He's trying to help all of us, like I said. He isn't our enemy."

"We know you might have the pipsqueak wrapped around your fingers, but we wont be so easy, Blood-sucker!" Terasaka grunted. Since the grenade incident he'd been strangely amiable towards Nagisa in his own gruff way, perhaps it was because he felt guilty.

"Give up now!" Kayano shouted, looking fiercely determined. But her tiny figure and poor grip on the sword made her look anything but threatening. As annoyed as he was, even Karma's gaze softened for a moment when he saw her.

"Eh? Are you all really too dense to work out that I'm not the one trying to hurt you?" Karma taunted. Of course he was trying to rile them up in retaliation, Nagisa though exasperated.

"Listen, Vampire, I don't care how adorable Nagisa is, you can't just take him like that!" Rio said. Nagisa blushed slightly, embarrassed (Karma was definitely going to tease him for that later, he could sense it).

Suddenly, Karma moved forwards. Before any of the hunters could react he was already stood behind Rio, his fingers pointed to

her neck. Her blue eyes widened with fear, everyone froze, even Nagisa felt a shiver run down his back.

"You know, I could defeat you all in an instant if I wanted to." Karma said, pressing his finger a little harder into Rio's neck, a seemingly-sweet smile on his face. Nobody dared move. "But since you all care about Nagisa so much, I'll let you off for now- later."

And then, moving so fast he almost blurred, the Vampire disappeared into the darkness of the forrest.

Everyone felt a rush of relief and let out a sigh. Even Nagisa was worried for a moment there, he knew how quickly Karma's temper flared up when people treated him like a monster, he felt for sure that his classmates would end up with Wasabi shoved up their noses.

They may be misguided, but they were good people.

"Nagisa, you need to be more careful." Kataoka scolded.

"Karma isn't a threat." Nagisa said, but it was clear that nobody really believed that. But how could he change their minds?

"I'm so impressed with how much all of you have improved!" Korosensei beamed at them, his permanent grin in place and his beady black eyes shining with pride.

The tests were in two weeks, and the class had improved more than they ever thought possible; Korosensei had taken the time to refine everyone's weaknesses, and discover their strengths. Unlike their previous teachers, he didn't dismiss them when they didn't meet standards straight away. The class smiled at each other, a sense of determination and pride was in the air. Despite their dark dingy classroom, the atmosphere seemed lighter somehow.

"Pretty soon we'll be strong enough to take on you!" Maehara said, the class hollered in agreement, even Nagisa joined in.

"Hmmm, we'll see about that." Korosensei said, the green-stripes appearing on his face indicating that he was feeling superior. "Anyway, I'll see you tomorrow class! Be careful on your way home!"

The E class filed out the door, talking with each other confidently.

"You know, I think for the first time ever, every E class student will pass the exam." Okajima said, a wide smile on his face.

"Yeah man! Nothing can stop us now!" Sugino agreed.

Nagisa was walking home with a two of classmates; Suigino, and Kayano. The trek down the mountain had been treacherous at first, with it's steep landscape, and numerous tree roots concealed under the shadows of the leaves, but by now they had gotten used to three of them where chatting away about their plans for the next day's lesson, when suddenly, Nagisa heard the rumble of footsteps approaching them.

He could sense somebody with a strong killing-intent getting closer and closer.

"Quick!" He cried, indicating for his friends to follow him and escape. By the sound of the footsteps, there were several attackers, but the forrest was too dense to see them. Who could it be? They sounded too loud to be anyone with any skill. Turned Vampires perhaps? Nagisa prayed not.

His heart thundered in his chest as he ran, Kayano and Suigino looked equally terrified as they ran alongside him, trying their best to be quiet, which was an impossible task when every branch snapped loudly under their feet.

The three of them raced through the forrest, still being followed by the mysterious attacker. The forrest was an endless maze of roots and branches.

Bam!

Nagisa whipped around just in time to see Kayano trip over a tree branch, and plummet to the floor, her golden eyes filled with terror as she smacked the ground painfully.

"Kayano!" Nagisa cried, running back to her, Suigino did the same.

"Just run!" She told them, a bruise already forming on her forehead, tears springing to her eyes from the pain.

"Don't be stupid." Nagisa said, crouching down to help her up. But it was too late, their attackers had reached them;

Out from the branches stepped a gang of surly looking men, each with an expression meaner than the next. There was about five of them in total, and it was clear from the bats and crowbars clutched in their calloused hands that they weren't just there to chat.

"Well well, looks like we have some poor defenceless E class losers." One of them smirked. Like most of the others, his head was shaved and although he was muscular he had a pot-belly. He was wearing dirty clothes covered in stains.

"What do you want?" Nagisa asked, glaring at the gang as he supported Kayano in standing up. Why would a gang of adult delinquents be targeting E class?

"That Chairman guy paid us handsomely just to mess you losers up ACK-!" A scrawny one started saying, but one of the other gang members punched him in the stomach to shut him up.

"You aren't supposed to tell 'em that!" He hissed. He turned to adress the three young hunters"We're just doing for- you know, the fun of it!"

Nagisa gritted his teeth as he realised what was going on; The Chairman couldn't harm the E class directly because of the Government, so he'd hired a gang of thugs to do his dirty work and make it look like a random accident. How despicable! Why did he need E class to fail so badly?

"Leave us alone and nobody will get hurt!" Suigino commanded, drawing his sword. But it was clear who would win if they went to battle; There where five thugs and three E class students, plus Kayano was already injured.

"I'm sorry." Kayano whispered to Nagisa, realising this, as she continued to lean on him.

"It's fine." The blue haired boy whispered back, as he pulled out his own knife.

"Aw, how adorable- they think they stand a chance against us." The pot-bellied leader scorned, the rest of the gang snickered. "Let's show 'em what real strength looks like."

The thugs approached them, metal bars clutched in hands. Nagisa gulped, and forced himself to swallow down his growing fear, to ignore it and focus on a way of getting out of this situation. He pushed Kayano behind him protectively, and held out his knife. Suddenly, Suigino ran out in front of the both of them towards the attackers, brandishing his sword.

"I wont let you bastards harm my friends!" He shouted, hitting the first guy with the hilt of his sword painfully in the stomach. But Suigino's upper-hand didn't last long; The sickening crack of the bat making impact with Suigino's head echoed around the forrest. The navy haired boy stumbled to the floor, blood dripping down his forhead.

"Suigino!" Nagisa cried, running forward with his knife. He winced when he heard a second crack as one of the thugs whacked Suigino's shin, breaking the bone.

A dark bloodlust radiated off Nagisa. His fear dissipated and was replaced with rage- How dare they hurt Suigino like that! The gang members stopped beating Suigino and turned to look at the small hunter approaching them. Even they felt a chill from his almost palpable killing intent.

"W-what is a pipsqueak like you tryna scare us?" One of them sneered, although there was an edge of fear to his voice.

Nagisa didn't reply, instead he lurched forwards, using his small build to his advantage and attacked one of the members furthers away from him- they weren't expecting that. He drove his knife deep into the attackers thigh. He let out a strangled cry of pain, then fell to the floor as blood gushed out of the wound on his leg.

"Y-You little freak!" The leader hissed, in shock that his comrade had fallen so quickly. He and the others rounded on Nagisa.

Nagisa knew he had no hope of beating them, but still, he bared his 'd drag them down to hell with him if he had as they approached him, weapons clutched in their meaty hands, a brilliant flash of red filled Nagisa's vision;

Karma. Karma was here.

The attackers were wiped out in mere seconds. Before they even knew what had happened to them, they were already unconscious on the floor.

Karma knocked the last one out with a swift whack the head, and finally stopped still. His hair was wind-swepped, and when he looked at Nagisa's his eyes were still glowing with a now-fading bloodlust.

Nagisa's shoulder's relaxed, he let out a sigh of relief Their eyes met, and the Vampire smiled.

"Karma.." He said, for a moment feeling safe and calm. Then he returned to reality.

"W-wait! Why did that Vampire help us?" Kayano asked. She was clearly in shock. Her knife was still held tight in her hands, her legs were shaking.

"Karma isn't as scary as he seems. He really does want to help us." Nagisa said. Karma looked to the side.

"If by wants to help 'us' you mean 'Nagisa'." He said. Nagisa chose to ignore that- despite the way he acted, the blue haired boy was sure that Karma would help anyone who was really in danger.

A pained groan from the floor brought their attention back to Sugino. Immediately, Nagisa and Kayano crouched down next to him to inspect the damage.

"A-are you okay?" Nagisa asked tentatively. It felt like such a stupid question- Sugino's hair was matted with blood, and his leg was clearly broken, it bent off to the side at an awkward angle.

"I'll be fine." Sugino panted, but he was clearly anything but. Kayano ripped off some of her skirt to staunch the bleeding on his head.

"Karma- you carry him back down to the hospital- " Nagisa started to say, trying to piece the situation back together, when suddenly he was interrupted by an ear-piercing scream from somewhere in the forrest.

"There's another attack- " Karma said- he could clearly hear more with his enhanced hearing. His expression suddenly darkened. "I'll check it out-"

And with that, he disappeared deeper into the forrest.

"I'm sorry." Korosensei said, bowing his globular yellow head low. "I underestimated how far the Chairman would go to deter you from victory, and I overestimated the power of the protection that the Government granted you with."

It was the next day, after the attacks had taken place. It had turned out that Chairman Asano had hired various thugs to accost E class and injure them just before the exam to make sure they failed. Of course, because it was all under-the-table, they couldn't actually prove he was the one behind it, and it wasn't just a random attack, much to Karasuma's frustration.

Five separate gangs of motley thugs had attacked the class when they had split up to walk home- Several students had come to class sporting fresh bruises today, Terasaka had a ugly gash stitched up on his arm, but by far the worst injured was Sugino. He sat in his chair, his leg in a cast, a pained expression on his face (really, it was a surprising he even turned up to class considering his condition!).

Things would of been a lot worse if Karma hadn't stepped in- after hearing the commotion, he managed to incapacitate the gangs before they caused too much trouble. Non of them where a match for him in the slightest (It made Nagisa realise just how skilled Karasuma and Asano must be to keep up with Karma despite not being Vampires themselves).

Karma was currently stood next to Nagisa. Saving basically the entire class had finally made people realise he really wasn't a threat. The vampire had insisted on joining the class because after yesterday's attacks 'it wasn't safe'. Nobody protested.

"Because of my incompetence, my beloved students have come under harm. All I can do is ask for your forgiveness." Korosensei said. His voice was serious, with non of it's usual vigour. He sounded truly sincere, no hint of his usual jokes or theatrics. His face was the same as always, and his black beady eyes where near impossible to read, but Nagisa could tell the guilt he was expressing was genuine.

A silence filled the room. The whole atmosphere was pretty dire- The attacks made the class realise the Chairman really was trying to hurt them. Their confidence from the day before had dissipated and was replaced by fear and dispere.

Isogai was the first one to break the silence, the leader as always. He stood up, facing Korosensei.

"Non of us blame you for this. But we accept your apology. And I think we have an apology to make ourselves." The Brunet said with vindication. He then turned to face Karma and Nagisa, his gold eyes intense. "Nagisa... Karma. We're sorry for not believing you. Karma we're sorry for treating you like a monster. We know now that the Chairman really does want to harm us, and you're trying to protect us. We'll help you uncover the secrets of the academy any way we can! We can work together to stop him!"

Isogai offered his hand towards Karma.

"So please, forgive us."

The Vampire looked down at Isogai's hand, an unreadable expression on his face. Nagisa was afraid the red head's arrogant streak would cause him to dismiss the class rep, but instead Karma took Isogai's hand and shook it.

"Don't worry about it." The Vampire said with a casual shrug. "It's not as if you had any reason to trust my word. And I guess I don't mind working with you guys. Even if you are hunters."

Nagisa couldn't help the slight smile that grew on his face. This situation was awful, but at least his class and Karma where working together.

"EXCELLENT!" Korosensei declared excitedly, his serious demeanour from moments earlier shattering. "Karma is now our newest member of E class! Congratulations!"

Everyone's eyes widened in shock.

"I said I would work with everyone! Not that I'd join the class! A Vampire can't become a hunter!" Karma exclaimed, putting his hands on his hips. Nagisa giggled slightly- when the Vampire got flustered he really did seem like a normal teenager, not an all-powerful supernatural creature.

"Ahh, but you'd make a wonderful addition to my class!" Korosensei snickered, clearly intent on having Karma join. "Learning hunter skills would give you an edge over your fellow vampires."

" Sorry to break it to you, but I don't have time to waste sitting here and- and- learning the history of numbers or whatever it is people do at school." Karma insisted, crossing his arms. A few members of the class where starting to look amused, while most still seemed confused.

"I can tell you are very intelligent, but still, uneducated. And not used to interacting with people regularly." Korosensei said, nodding his round head as he spoke. "You'd have a lot to learn in E class. I'd surely make you into a fine Vampire."

"I don't need some weird creatures help to become a 'fine vampire'." Karma said, rolling his eyes. Nagisa couldn't help the half-smile on his face. The vampire really did have an authority problem.

"Hm~ Well then.. How about a challenge?" Korosensei said. Neither Nagisa nor the rest of the class knew what he had in mind, but something about the gleam in his beady black eyes made Nagisa think it would be something crazy!


	11. The Hunter Examination.

"The hunter examination is in a matter of days- have you prepared your classmates to succeed?"The Chairman said, peering over at his son before him with mauve eyes like chips of ice. "It doesn't matter how well you do. You can't take the test for them."

"Of course, sir. I have made sure there have been no blind spots in their training." Asano said, his tone full of pride, a smug smirk on his face. "I give you my word that I will take first place and that the rest of A class will be following behind me."

"Really? After your current failures your word doesn't mean much to me." The Chairman replied, a mocking edge to his voice, he lent back in his plump leather chair. "Are you sure you won't loose to E class?"

"Don't be ridiculous." Asano snapped sharply. "That class is for the weakest of the weak." He paused, then allowed a sly smile to grow on his face. "Although, you seem to think that they're some sort of a threat considering you sent armed thugs after them. Of course, that plan failed- "

Asano was cut off when a knife went flying towards his face. He moved out the way, the blade missing him by a fraction of an inch. Damnit! He didn't even see the Chairman throw the thing! How could that man be so fast? The sound of a dull thud resonated around the room as the knife embedded itself in the door behind him.

"The only reason that plan wasn't a success is because you allowed the Red Devil to escape, and now he's joined forces with E class in order to protect his prey." The Chairman said calmly, smiling as if he hadn't just launched a knife at his only son moments earlier. The look in his eyes was pure murder. Asano remembered how crucial it was to keep his guard up against this man, all day every day. "On that note- acing the examination isn't enough; I have a special task for you."

Asano had no idea what his father was going to ask of him, but he already felt a jolt of dread. It couldn't be anything good, but refusal wouldn't be an option. He resisted the urge to scowl and kept his expression neutral.

"What do you require of me?" Gakushuu asked, violet eyes narrowing.

"I want you to kill Nagisa Shiota. During the Hunter's examination I will create the opportunity for you to do so." The Chairman said simply, that infuriating smile still in place. At his words, Gakushuu felt his heart drop in his chest. He gritted his teeth and balled his fists.

"Why? He's nobody. He's just some weakling who the Red Devil has decided to toy with! He's not a threat- what would the use be in killing him? Surely the Red Devil should be my target!" Asano demanded. Why was his father so intent on him murdering humans? Why Shiota? The Chairman just laughed mirthlessly and pulled himself up out of his plush leather chair, and walked around his desk towards Asano.

"Oh my. Are you refusing a direct order from me?" The Chairman asked. Asano stiffened as the man approached him, not trusting himself to move. He felt rooted to the spot, his mouth suddenly going dry and his blood running cold. His instincts told him to reach for his sword, but his brain reminded him that no weapons were any protection from the Chairman. His father stopped only when he was inches in front of Asano, his intimidating aura almost overwhelming.

"I wasn't refusing you, sir." Gakushuu said, not allowing his voice to betray how he felt. "I was simply questioning your motive."

He avoided looking the Chairman in the eye, and instead focused his gaze outside the window, past the boundaries of the town to the forrest. Beyond that there were other towns and villages- A whole world away from Kunugigaoka. At times like these, Asano wished he could escape to there. The Chairman refused him even that small freedom though, and grabbed a fistful of Asano's blond hair and pulled his head back, forcing their eyes to meet.

"Nagisa Shiota must be killed because knows too much about the academy's secrets. And you, Asano, must be the one to do it to prove to me that you really can kill humans." The Chairman explained in a patronising tone, as if he were speaking to a particularly slow child. "I have told you before- I don't keep around weapons that aren't useful to me. If you cannot cut down my enemies you are a worthless I have no need for you, I will dispose of you. Do we have an understanding?"

Asano winced as his hair was tugged tighter. He hated this man, but he was impossibly strong and endlessly powerful. There was no escape from the Chairman, he was pulling all the strings.

"Yes Sir. When you give the word, I will kill Nagisa Shiota during the hunting examination."

"Excellent." The Chairman said, finally letting go. "As for the Red Devil, I'll deal with him myself."  
___________________________________________________  
"Lets see Karma. You had a very admirable score of 85/100, but that still isn't 100%. You lost the challenge, so as of now you are an official member of E class!" Korosensei cheered, waving the examination paper in the air triumphantly. Other members of E class, all of whom were sat around their desks, cheered too.

"Give me that!" Karma snarled, pulling the paper from Korosensei's yellow hand, a disgruntled look on his face as he started to read through his test paper.

When Korosensei had issued Karma a challenge, nobody expected it to be a written test. To make it fair, the subject had been 'Vampires'. The deal had been if Karma managed to get 100% Korosensei would assassinate himself, if Karma fell short of that, he'd have to join E class.

"You're naturally a very bright young man, but your lack of formal education is quite apparent in this test." Korosensei said smugly. "For example, you didn't know that for Vampires, ingestting their own blood gives them a quick burst of power. Another thing you didn't know that if Turned-Vampires consume the blood of natural Vampires it can keep them sane. You also didn't know that Vampire-Human relationships were banned by Vampire elders because hybrid offspring usually didn't survive infancy and it was deemed cruel."

"But you did get full points on the first question for knowing that that being badly injured makes even natural Vampires ravenously, uncontrollably thirsty because human's blood can heal injuries in Vampires. And you also wrote a lovely paragraph on how turned Vampires become more unstable depending on how far away from natural-Vampire they were turned. For example, a human turned by a natural Vampire could keep their sanity for years, but if they turned another human, they would have even less sanity, and then-

"-I get it already." Karma huffed, cutting him off, annoyed. He clearly hadn't been expecting to loose. It was an exam on his own species for heaven's sake! But Karma had no idea about the Elders banning Human-Vampire relationships eons ago. He didn't even know Vampires and Humans could have offspring together at all. The red haired Vampire glanced at Nagisa.. oh well. At least that rule wouldn't effect him and Nagisa, it's not like they could produce offspring even if they had both been born the same species.

The blue haired hunter was looking at him with a half-smile, probably trying to hide how pleased he was that Karma was now his classmate. The Vampire grinned despite himself. He glanced around the room- it really was a rundown shack, nothing like the academy's grand main building. But all these humans- his classmates, now - were smiling at him, as if they were pleased he was a part of them. Karma had never been welcomed by so many humans (or Vampires, for that matter.) It made the Vampire's chest fill with a warm feeling he didn't recognise. Without noticing it, he stopped scowling at Korosensei.

"I guess we're classmates now, Karma." Nagisa said with a bright smile, looking thoroughly ecstatic. "We'll have to get you a uniform!"

"A Vampire dressed as a Hunter- now that'll be a sight to see." Rio chortled, clapping Karma on the back non too gently, a smirk on her face. "Welcome to E class, Karma."

It was going to take some getting used to, these humans calling him 'Karma' instead of 'Red Devil'.

"Okay, class! There is no time to loose!" Korosensei declared with a renewed sense of vigour, before adding in a serious tone. "I'm sure you are all itching for revenge after what the Chairman has put you through." He paused, his eyes resting on Sugino who was sat to the side, his leg in its cast. The mood of the class suddenly changed from jovial to determined. "The best way to get revenge is to obliterate the hunter exams! Show them all your worth by coming in first place!"

The class cheered in approval. Korosensei's grin only seemed to widen.

"Now class- let's resume our training."  
___________-----------------------

The day of the hunter's examination was something everyone from the village of Kunugigaoka had to endure at the ages of 15 and 16. It was a huge milestone in any young hunters life, and was something the children at the academy had been both excited for and dreading for as long as they could remember. Nagisa and the rest of E class (aside from Karma, of course) had walked through the gates of the academy countless times before on their way to school, but today it felt completely different.

Despite their earlier bravado, a solemn silence descended over E class as they approached they walked into the academy grounds, having no idea what exactly was awaiting them.

"This is were I have to leave you, boys and girls." Korosensei said as the class walked through the gate. His usually yellow skin was peach, and he had a prosthetic nose on his face. He was disguised as a very blobby human. The class turned to look at him, shocked.

"What do you mean, Sensei?" Isogai asked, golden eyes widening with fear.

"As you may know, I am a demon. And demons physically cannot break the contracts they sign." Korosensei explained. Nagisa had a sinking feeling he knew were this was going. "The only way the Chairman would allow me to teach you, was if I signed an unbreakable contract banning me from the main academy grounds."

The class looked appalled. Kayano and Okuda looked positively terrified. While Terasaka shouted out.

"So you're leaving us!"

"Class, I have spent the last few weeks training you, and I have complete faith in you." Korosensei said. "You've grown into strong individuals, even if I'm not there. I trust you to hold each other up."

Half the class still looked unsure- but then Isogai spoke up.

"I trust your judgement, Korosensei. If you think we can do this, then we can." He said. The class nodded along at what their leader said.

"But what if the Chairman tries to pull some kind of trick on us again?" Kayano asked, sounding unsure. Korosensei beamed at her.

"Rest assured, if the Chairman tries to really hurt you, we have an ace up our sleeve." Korosensei said, pointing towards Karma. The Vampire was stood next to Nagisa, his hands shoved deep into his pockets. A navy blue wig was concealing his bright red hair. Sugino was too injured to take part, so Karma was doing the test under his name. "E class' own Vampire will be there to protect anyone if the situation becomes too dire."

Karma gave a brief nod. "Trust me, non of the elites or challenges the Chairman can throw at us will be any match for me." He said with his usual arrogance. But Nagisa had noticed a change in Karma's demeanour since Korosensei had started training him; The Vampire was more focused now, and less likely to underestimate the enemy, despite his fighting words.

"Fantastic. I'd wish you luck, class, but you don't need any." Korosensei said confidently. "I'll see you after you've made it into the top fifty. Just follow the tactics I have taught you."

And with that final farewell, the class walked through the gates into the grounds of the academy. Nagisa kept his guard up as he walked alongside Karma and the others. The examination may not of have started yet, but they were in the Chairman's territory now, and you always had to be wary of him. The challenge was to be held around the back of the academy in the training grounds, but in order to get there students had to bypass a series of guards ready to check their ID. This was the part Nagisa had been dreading the most. Karma looked nothing like Sugino. Luckily the ID pictures were sepia-tone and blurry so it was difficult to discern what a person actually looked like based on it (cameras had only been invented ten years ago, so the results weren't always brilliant). But still. Would that be enough to fool the guards and allow Karma to take part in the exam? Sensing Nagisa's worry, Karma squeezed his hand.

"It's fine. As long as I don't let that Asano brat see my face nobody will know my true identity." He whispered in Nagisa's ear.

"Hurry up you lot! Just because your destined to fail this exam doesn't mean you E class losers can waste our time! Line up and show me your IDs!" A gruff looking guard with a large moustache yelled, snatching the ID out of Isogai's hand and checking it. "Yuuma Isogai- you're on the list you may proceed."

The dark haired boy was shoved through the gates.

"Next!" The guard bellowed, grabbing the ID out of Nagisa's hand before he could protest. "Nagisa Shiota? Your the brat who got kidnapped by a Vampire, right?" He said, grabbing the blue haired boy's face to inspect it. "I can't believe they're letting some Vampire's bitch take this exam. Pathetic. You may proceed."

Nagisa was shoved through the gates with excessive force, luckily, he managed to stop himself from falling. He could practically feel the anger radiating off Karma behind him. Then, to his horror, he heard the guard shout.

"There's something dodgy about this ID!" Nagisa turned around expecting to see Karma being apprehended, but instead, it was Kayano being challenged.

"It's because I'm not from this town so my ID looks a little different!" Kayano huffed at the guard, red in the face.

"This ID says you're 11. They've never let someone so young take part in the examination before, there's something fishy about this." The guard said, peering at Kayano's face a little closer. She glared at him.

"She's on the list, isn't she?" A second guard said, inspecting her ID. "If the under-cooked brat wants to get killed in this exam that's her choice."

And with that, Kayano was shoved through just as the others had been.

"How rude." Kayano huffed as she walked up to the rest of the group. Luckily, the guards were to preoccupied arguing over Kayano's situation to check the other ID's too closely, so Karma got in without a hitch.

"You ready?" Karma asked, taking Nagisa's hand again. Nagisa felt a blush creep up on his cheeks. He pulled his hand away from Karma's.

"We can't draw attention to ourselves." He said, ignoring Rio's knowing smirk.

"C'mon guys!" Isogai said, leading ahead. "We need to line up for when the Chairman makes his speech!"

The training grounds looked as they usually did- Nagisa wondered what the hunters examination could possibly consist of. Will Vampires be released onto the fields and they had to fight them off? What could it be? The the other four classes were already lined up on the field, dressed impeccably in the grey hunter's uniform. A few of them turned to sneer at E class as they arranged themselves into a line facing the podium.

"Now what?" Karma whispered into Nagisa's ear. The blue haired boy shrugged, feeling a surge of nerves as he realised he truly had no idea.

"We wait for the Chairman to come and tell us, I suppose." The Hunter said, trying to steady his breathing. He glanced over at A class, they were all the way at the other side of the field, but he could make Asano out because of his distinctive strawberry blond hair. The last time they'd seen each other, it had been in a brutal fight. The realisation sent another jolt of nerves through Nagisa. He just prayed that Asano wouldn't get close enough to recognise Karma. Hopefully he'd be too concerned with his own exam to pay E class any attention. Suddenly, Nagisa realised something strange about Asano.

"Karma- Asano's face. it isn't burnt." Nagisa hissed to the Vampire. Karma glanced at him sideways.

"Of course it isn't. We fought him almost a month ago." Karma shrugged. Nagisa rolled his eyes.

"Vampires may be able to heal from second degree burns within a matter of hours, but humans would normally be scarred from an injury like that." Nagisa explained. He once again remembered the last time he saw Asano- once side of his face had been covered in painful red blisters from were Karma had threw the Vervain over him. They reminded Nagisa of when his mother had threw boiling water over his hand last year. He still had a slight scar (that was one thing she was actually sorry for).

"He was injured with Vervain. That shouldn't normally harm humans at all. Maybe that's why the healing process is different." Karma suggested. He didn't really know much about human physiology (he had failed a test on his own species, after all). Before Nagisa had a chance to reply, the sound of a trumpet distracted him from his thoughts.

"Students of Kunugigaoka! Please welcome your Chairman to the stage!" A female voice called out. Applause erupted from the audience as the academy's leader made his way to the podium.

Despite the man being the most affluent person in the town, Nagisa hadn't seen him that often. He always got the impression Gakuhou Asano was one to work in the shadows, behind the scenes, pulling the strings. His abilities as a Vampire hunter were unrivaled if the stories were to be believed he had managed to eradicate whole communities of Vampires, and apparently had the strength of ten men, and the speed of a wild animal.

The man even looked intimidating with tall build and wide shoulders, his russet coloured hair scraped back from his face revealing a pair of mauve eyes that looked dangerously close to red. There always seemed to be an undercurrent of madness within them. In short, he was terrifying. The Chairman only had to raise his hand and the applause stopped instantly leaving behind a deafening silence.

"My students." He said, his voice resonating around the field. "I am pleased to see you here today. You are the future of our great town. You will be the ones who protect future generations from the evils of Vampires. Today we will see who has the power to become a hero." He paused, casting his eyes over E class. "And who does not."

A ripple of snickers echoed from the other classes. The E class ignored it, however.

"This task will be quite simple." The Chairman said. As soon as he spoke, silence fell once again. People were hooked on his every word. "Beneath the ground here, there is a maze." He paused, allowing for the gasps of shock. Nagisa was also surprised. How many secrets did this academy have? "The catacombs are quite extensive. Your task will be to reach the end of the maze as fast as you can. There, will of course, be some nasty surprises down there for you to defeat."

Vampires- of course they'd have to fight Vampires.

"The Vampires in the maze have all been tagged with bracelets. Every time you defeat one, you must collect that bracelet, and you will be awarded bonus points for them. The more powerful the Vampire, the more points you will receive. Aim for the highest score possible." The Chairman said, before adding with a smirk. "Of course, your participation in this event is at your own risk. The school won't be responsible if you are killed by a Vampire, or find yourself lost in the catacombs forever.."

Nagisa felt a shiver run down his spine as he realised just how serious this was.

"How could we have had this huge maze down at the bottom of the school without even knowing about it?" Maehara commented, as they traveled deeper and deeper beneath the earth's surface in an old rickety elevator.

"Quiet, E class, I'm trying to concentrate." Some D class student hissed. The participating students had been shoved into one of the many elevators that was to carry them to the dead bottom of the catacombs. Nagisa had no idea how deep beneath the ground they were actually going, but it felt as if they had been descending for miles in this stuffy little box. When Karma held his hand this time, he didn't pull it away.

The entire of E class and the bottom portion of D class were crammed into the elevator. It was dimly lit with flickering glass light bulbs, and the air was so thick with dust Nagisa had to resist the urge to cough. The walls were so thickly coated in dirt that it was impossible to tell what kind of material they were made of. The screeching sound of the rusty chains lowering the lift down filled the air, and part of Nagisa feared the Chairman was planning on killing them by shutting them in this dodgy elevator. Judging by the looks of his classmates, they shared his sentiments.

But somehow, they managed to survive the journey without the elevator's chains snapping causing them to plummet to earth. They finally shuddered to a stop, and the doors swung open revealing an endlessly dark abyss before them.

"Later E class losers. See you at the finish line- if you make it, that is!" The D student snickered as he and his classmates switched on their torches and ran off into different directions of the labyrinthine, quickly disappearing into the darkness. Karma whistled.

"They must have some kind of death wish." He commented. "Running off by themselves like that."

"In this academy we're taught to pride ourselves on our individual strengths without needing help from others." Nagisa explained. He knew at this moment, all the other students would be desperately trying to out-do their peers, refusing to work together in case they were 'dragged down'.

"That's were E class is going to be different!" Isogai declared, taking his place at the front of the class. "If we work together we'll be able to make use of each other's strengths and cover each others weaknesses."

"Just like Korosensei taught us!" Kataoka said, looking equally determined. "Now less chit-chat. Let's get in formation and finish this!"

"This is a maze, so if we just keep one hand on the left wall we eventually should find our way out." Rio suggested.

The fastest most agile of E class like Okano and Kimura were at the front, while the physically strongest members of the class were protecting the rear. Using a team this big to work together went against everything the Chairman had taught them at the academy, but Nagisa felt confident that together they could achieve great things (plus it helped that they had a Vampire to step in if things became too dire). The passageways were pitch black, only the weak light of the student's torches prevented them from being plunged into complete darkness. The walls of the cave were mostly bare rock, but there were a few carvings on the wall of patterns too faded to discern.

"These caves must of been created by ancient vampires." Karma murmured to Nagisa, his mercury eyes trailing over the carvings. He could probably see them much clearer in the darkness, Nagisa realised. "Now these labyrinths are being used to train humans to kill vampires. Kind of ironic, isn't it?"

His tone didn't sound bitter, rather, it was more amused. Nagisa nodded.

Although there was a sense of confidence exuding from E class, that didn't stop them from experiencing fear as they walked further and further through the dark passageways. There was a heavy atmosphere, and the knowledge that turned-Vampires were lurking down there with them set everyone on edge. Every time he heard footsteps from another student running past, Nagisa couldn't help the thrill of nerves that ran through him. The maze took longer than the E class had anticipated; Even after what felt like miles of walking, they still saw no signs of light, but the passageways were at least widening.

"Man, if I knew it was going to be this long I would of taken some food Mph-! " Tersaka started to say, but was cut off when Karma clamped a hand over his mouth. Terasaka glared at him, but Karma just whispered.

"There's a Vampire approaching us." Those words sent a ripple of fear through E class. For there was one thing preparing to fight a Vampire, and another actually doing it.

"Do you want me to take care of it?" Karma asked, a casual look on his face. But Rio shook her head.

"We need to learn to do this ourselves." She concluded. Karma shrugged.

"Well. You have five seconds before it gets here." Karma said, leaning against the wall of the cave. Sure enough, seconds after he spoke, the sound of rapid footsteps soon became audible to even the humans.

Everyone drew their swords. The strongest fighters, Rio, Maehara, Isogai and Terasaka stood at the front of the group, while the more vulnerable members like Kayano stood back, and aimed long-range weapons like crossbows.

It happened so fast; At first, all they could see was darkness, and then suddenly, a white figure came into view, running rapidly towards them, its bare feet slapping on the cold stone floor.

It looked like a real monster. The turned Vampire was gaunt, with overgrown fangs protruding from it's mouth like knives. It's hair had been pulled out in chunks leaving scab-filled bald patches. But the most terrifying thing about it was it's eyes; They had lost any semblance of rationality or humanity, they were wide, red and bloodshot. Around it's stick-thin arm was a silver bracelet marking it as a second-degree Vampire.

It was hard to believe this thing could of ever been human.

"Blood!" The thing screeched, it's voice grating to human ears. Isogai and Rio winced. Suddenly E class' earlier bravado shrank as they were faced with the reality of Vampires.

The Vampire turned reached out to grab Isogai, it's overgrown fingernails almost scratching his face, but before the Vampire had a chance, Rio with her quick reflexes sliced off it's arm. The thing screamed in agony, it was a horrible, demented noise. It quickly turned on Rio, but then Maehara swiped his sword at it. Nagisa could only watch, pointing his torch at the battle to allow his fellow humans to see. After all, they couldn't fight the Vampire if they couldn't see it. The Vampire of was fast, of course, but nowhere near as fast as Karma or even Asano. It must be an effect of it being so weak from thirst.

But still, it was a formidable opponent;It's movements were quick and jerky, like a feral cat- The thing dodged the arrows shot at it, and even the best fighters of E class were starting to get overwhelmed. Karma could take no more; his expression darkened and he took a step forwards, but Nagisa placed a hand on the Vampire's waist, gently stopping him in his tracks.

"Trust them." Nagisa said. He knew it must be painful for Karma to watch without intervening, especially when the Vampire knew he could win the fight within seconds. Karma gave an agitated his but relented.

"I'll give them five more seconds then I'm stepping in." He said, but even as he spoke, the tables turned; Isogai, Rio and the others got used to the Turned Vampire's fighting style, and they were driving it back. Rio slashed her sword forwards and managed to cut off one of the Vampire's arms. The thing screeched in pain, the noise was blood-curdling, it sounded almost unnatural, but Isogai didn't let his concentration falter for a second- With lightening quick precision, he jabbed his sword forwards and pierced the turned Vampire through the heart. A final unnatural, blood-curdling screech was elicited from the Vampire before it slump forwards face down, and slammed into the concrete floor as if it were a marionette who's strings had been cut. Blood gushed from it's stump of a severed arm, and pooled from it's chest onto the floor.

A heavy silence descended over the E class as the weight of what they had accomplished finally hit them. Everyone's feelings were mixed; On the one hand, they had managed to accomplish the most important task a hunter must do, on the others they had just slain something that used to be human.

"I..killed it." Isogai whispered in a low voice, half in-awe, half-horrified. Silence descended again, but was interrupted by the sound of slow clapping.

Everyone turned to see Karma, clapping his hands, a sincere look of pride on his face. "You did it. Now your all finally strong enough to hold your own." He said, then his serious expression melted away to a smile that made Nagisa's heart skip a beat. "Colour me impressed- I didn't think you guys would make it!"

With those words, the heavy atmosphere lifted; Rio punched Karma in the arm.

"Ye of little faith! Of course we can defend ourselves!" She laughed. A chorus of 'yeahs!' came from her fellow students. Maehara ruffled Isogai's hair.

"Man, watch out for Mr Badass Vampire-hunter over here!" The blond smirked. Isogai blushed.

"I couldn't of done it without you guys!"

"Come on, let's keep going." Kataoka said, a proud smile on her face. "Like Korosensei says we have to make it into the top fifty!"

As they walked away, leaving the Vampire behind, Nagisa glanced at it one last time, then gasped as he noticed something; The Vampire was wearing a torn and tattered Hunter's Uniform. Could this be the fate of students who get attacked by Vampires during the exam? They become one of the obstacles? Nagisa decided not to voice his revelation to his classmates just yet..  
\-------------

The rest of the challenge was by no means easy; The long walk along the catacombs was a challenge in itself, but luckily E class had built their stamina from having to climb as hill to get to class every day (the perks of being outcasts). They ran into more Vampires, but killing them became easier and easier the further they went. They even managed to kill a first-degree Vampire- One that had been directly turned by a natural. It was far faster than the rest, Karma almost intervened, but in the end Kayano managed to shoot an arrow through its head and the class was rewarded with a gold bracelet.

Nagisa killed his first; The Vampire had tried to attack Okajima, but Nagisa had managed to sneak behind the Vampire and plunge a knife into it's back before it even noticed he was felt so surreal, the sensation of his dagger cutting through the taught sinews of the Vanpire's flesh, the splatter of blood that spurted out, the death-rattle screech of the Vampire that had now become familiar to him.

When he turned to his classmates, they all wore expressions of both shock and awe.

"Whoa Nagisa, you came out of nowhere." Maehara said with a low whistle. Karma just clapped Nagisa on the back, making him jump.

"Nagisa is a lot more deadly than he first seems." Karma said with a sly grin, before tugging a lock of his blue hair affectionately. "It's one of the reasons I like him so much."

At those words, Nagisa turned bright red, a blush spreading across his face.

"K-Karma! Stop!" He squeaked. The class laughed; Because seriously, what was up with this polarity? Nagisa was a deadly killer one moment then shy and bashful the next!

They passed by a few other students on the way, all of whom took the time to mock E class for 'Needing twenty people to do a one man job'. Non of E class paid them any heed. Occasionally they would hear the screams and shouts of other students echoing through the labyrinth, Nagisa hoped they weren't in too much danger.  
__________

Asano emerged from the labyrinth, brushing dirt off his uniform, at the end of the tunnel was a large metal gate, another defence to stop the Vampires from escaping. Swiftly, he typed in the combination the students had been given at the start of the task, and the gate swung open. Asano stepped outside, The bright afternoon light assaulted his retinas, quickly he shielded his eyes with his sleeve. Finally, that task was over.

"Well done, Mister Asano! First place! In record time! Just what we'd expect from the Chairman's son." His teacher said, bounding over to him. Mr Sakada was a middle-aged man with a moustache who, like most teachers at the academy, favoured the strong. Asano's eyes adjusted to the light, and he surveyed the scene; The area around the exit from the catacombs was surrounded by Hunters and teachers, all standing guard to ensure that non of the Vampires that lurk in the labyrinth escaped. Mr Karasuma, the new E class teacher looked particularly on edge. There was a stern-looking invigilator sat at a desk on the field, noting down his time.

"It's all thanks to your teaching." Asano said to his teacher, smiling like he was supposed to, despite the lie. He passed the teacher the bag full of Vampire Bracelets he had collected. Mr Sakada beamed and started droning on about something, but Asano didn't pay him any attention; Instead his gaze shifted to the man sat on the highest podium, overlooking the whole Event: The Chairman. Catching his eye, the Chairman stood up, and walked over to Asano, his dark cape billowing behind him, making him seem like some sort of spectre.

"Congratulations on your victory." The Chairman said, but purely as a formality in front of the others. It was obvious to Asano that his smile was entirely false.

"Thank you, sir." Asano replied, returning the smile with equal falsity. The Chairman stepped closer, so only Asano could hear his voice.

"Did you complete the additional task I gave you?" The Chairman asked. "It would of been easy to make it look like an accident."

Of course killing someone it a catacomb full of Vampires, miles beneath civilization would be the perfect place to murder a classmate and 'make it look like accident'

"The E class traveled as a group during this task. It was unwise to even get close to them. I didn't want witnesses, obviously." Asano said, with a stern expression. He was secretly glad he didn't have an opportunity to kill Nagisa though, although deep down, he knew he was just delaying the inevitable, and the thought made him sick.

"Hm. If you're worried about witnesses, you should of killed all of them. That should be a problem for you, right?" The Chairman said, derisively. Asano almost gasped; His father was asking him to massacre a class-load of kids? He couldn't keep the horror from showing on his face:

"You are still too weak." His father hissed. "I will create another opportunity to kill him. You will do it then."

The two of them were brought away from their discussion by the sound of footsteps echoing up from the labyrinth.

"It seems we're about to find out who has made it to second place." The Chairman declared. Asano wondered if it would be Ren or Seo; Those two were the strongest in A class, besides himself, after all- but it sounded like more than one person. It sounded like a group of people.

Both the Asano's, the teachers and the guards watched in anticipation to see which pupils were strong enough to secure second place. But when they recognised the identity, the faculty was astounded.

"It can't be- E class!?" Mr Sakada gasped. But it was true; Emerging from the darkness was the members of E class. All of them. They looked exhausted and dirty but victorious smiles were on all their faces.

"Joint second place! Well done everyone!" Isogai declared to his class. In his hand was a bag full of Vampire Bracelets that rivaled Asano's.

"Hmm, I was kind of hoping for first, but I suppose this will do." Rio Nakamura said, feigning nonchalance. But it was clear from the look in her blue eyes she was brimming with pride.

"Wh- Wha!? All of you competed as a group!? That can't be- that must be against the rules!" Mr Sakada spluttered. But that brute of a boy, Terasaka, shook his head.

"Nah. It ain't. That was never mentioned." He said, with a smirk. He was taller than the teacher, and looked down at him as he grinned. "Looks like we ain't so useless after all."

Asano watched them, clenching his first in anger- How had those nobodies managed to beat the chosen pupils that he had trained himself? But Asano's irritation was nothing compared to the Chairman's overpowering rage. Without even looking at him, Asano could practically feel the cold fury radiating off him, and he had to repress the urge to shiver.

"My what an unexpected turn of events." The Chairman commented to the other teachers as E class ran over to their teacher, Mr Karasuma. His voice was tense as if he were moments away from snapping completely. "If you had trained your fellow pupils properly, Asano, one would think that they wouldn't be so easily beaten by E class."

Asano didn't have a response, there was nothing you could say to sate that man's temper or change his mind. He glared at E class; Nagisa Shiota in particular. Currently he was stood next to a tiny green haired girl, a proud smile on his face. The stupid little bastard didn't even know the danger he was in.

"The Red Devil must of assisted them." The Chairman hissed, "There is no way they could of succeeded any other way."

Instinctively, upon hearing that cursed name, Asano reached down to grab his sword. But the Chairman grabbed his arm and stopped him.

"Now now, don't be rash. Are you going to go storming over there spouting accusations like an idiot?" The Chairman said. "No. we'll expose him first. Now- go over and congratulate your classmates on their near-victory."

"What? Why?"

"Do it." The Chairman hissed, in a voice that didn't leave any room for argument. Asano had to wonder if this was part of the plan or just the Chairman trying to humiliate him. But the look in his father's eyes told him that he'd be better off not asking.

"I'm sure Korosensei will be very proud of you all." Karasuma said, a soft smile on his face that Nagisa hadn't seen before. Normally that guy's default expression was a weary frown.

"Yeah! And did you see the look on their faces when we came second?" Nakamura laughed.

The E class were stood on the field, surrounding the Government agent who was playing the role of their teacher. All the teachers of the school kept their distance, glaring at E class as if they were a blight to the school. Mr Sakada was arguing rather irately with the invigilator, insisting that E class should be disqualified. But even those who work at the academy knew that the E class hadn't broken any rules. Just defied expectations.

"Hey is that Asano? What does he want?" Terasaka hissed. Nagisa turned to see, and sure enough, Asano was walking over to them. Involuntarily, Nagisa's heart started hammering in it's chest as he remembered exactly what this boy was capable off. He was glad that Karma had managed to slip away from the group unnoticed after they left the labyrinth. At least he wouldn't have to worry about Asano recognising him.

But still.

"Congratulations on doing so well." Asano said, as he approached them, with a smile on his face that, if Nagisa didn't know him, he would think was real. "I'm rather impressed."

The E class gaped at him- Off all the things Asano could of said, that was something nobody expected. Even the teachers nearby turned to look at him as if he'd said something scandalous. All eyes were on him. There was a moment of shocked silence before anyone replied. It was of course Isogai who smiled back (a little unsurely) and said.

"Th- Thanks Asano. Congratulations on coming first. You really are amazing." The dark haired boy said, taking Asano's sudden kindness as face value. Nagisa was more sceptical though; What was the elite hunter after?

"Well, I do have a reputation to uphold." Asano said, smile still in place, his violet eyes unreadable. Was he trying to intimidate them? Nagisa wondered, but before that train of thought could develop any further, he was interrupted by the sound of a scream.

"Th- The gate's been unlocked! The Vampires are coming through!" A guard screamed. Before she even finished speaking, a low rumbling was heard and a hoard of Vampires spilled out of the labyrinth onto the field. It was more Vampires than Nagisa had ever seen at once together. They were like a mass of pale, emancipated flesh. It was a sight so horrifying it sent a sliver of pure dread down Nagisa's spine. His happy, proud feelings from moments earlier disappeared and were replaced with terror. The Sun had lowered and the shadow of the academy overcast the field, providing just enough shade so that the Vampires wouldn't be burnt to a crisp in the light. Who had opened the gate? Why were so many attacking at once?

"Don't let any escape into the village!" The Chairman commanded, drawing his sword from under his dark robes. It was a colossal thing that looked too huge for any human to carry. That was when Nagisa realised that Asano must of come over to E class to distract everyone while the Chairman opened the gate. The Chairman had probably used some sort of enhanced blood to attract the Vampires over as well... ... but there was no time to ruminate over the Chairman's plan now- The Vampires were approaching.

Their horrific screeches and the sound of bare feet scraping against grass filled the air. The E class drew their weapons against an enemy too overwhelming to defeat.

"Class! Let's get into position!" Isogai commanded- They knew to expect no help from guards nor teachers, other than Karasuma they were all focused on the Vampires trying to flee into the town. Out of the corner of his eye, Nagisa could see Asano beheading one.

Fear gripping them, E class waited for the impact from the seven Vampires headed in their direction. Except. It didn't come; Instead, a dark figure with striking red hair darted down from the rooftops, a dagger glinting in his hands. All seven Vampires were decimated within minutes. They were clumsy with madness and blood deprivation. Karma moved around them like a dancer, slashing them with his knife, and they dropped to the floor like puppets with their strings cut.

It was amazing how, when Nagisa saw Karma, his fears melted away for a second, and his heart started racing for a very different reason. Karma turned to smile at E class, but those mercury eyes were focused purely on Nagisa.

"Looks like I managed to be of use after all." Karma said, looking pleased with himself. Nagisa smiled back at him. But then reality came crashing back down around their feet.

"That's the Red Devil!" The Chairman shouted, speeding over. "He must of let those Vampire's free!"

The eyes of dozens of skilled, adult hunters were boring into them. Nagisa felt a sick twist of his stomach; Once again they'd walked straight into a trap. The Chairman must of put E class in danger knowing it would draw Karma out, like a rat into a trap.

The next thing Nagisa knew, he felt a larger hand grab his, and suddenly, he and Karma were hunter's were covering the field, so the only way to escape was through the academy itself. Adrenaline pumping through his body, Nagisa barely registered that Karma had broken down a door, and suddenly, they were inside the academy's halls. In the background, he could vaguely here the Chairman shouting orders

"You! Keep the Vampires at bay! I'll pursue the Red Devil. Asano, come."

"This way! Keep turning left and you'll understand and exit." Nagisa told Karma. After all, Nagisa had been going to this academy for years. These wooden floors and stone walls were familiar to him. The sound of the footsteps of their pursuers filled Nagisa's ears. Somehow they were getting closer.

"Karma, leave me behind I'll only slow you down." Nagisa said, The Vampire glared at him.

"Are you insane? I'd never leave you behind!" He hissed, Nagisa shook his head, still running.

"It's you they're after. They won't care about me. Asano's had opportunities to kill me before but he's never taken them, because you are the one he wants." Nagisa said. Karma's eyes widened with the realisation that Nagisa would likely be in more danger with him than without him.

"Fine. But I'll see you later today." Karma said, suddenly pulling Nagisa closer and crashing his lips down upon his. Nagisa let out a startled squeak, but then quickly melted into the kiss, his adrenaline heightening his senses. It felt heavenly.

But before he had a chance to enjoy it, Karma had pulled away from him, and was already half way down the corridor.

"Don't fight the Chairman! Just run!" Nagisa called after him, before running down another corridor in another direction. He knew how strong Karma was, but he couldn't help but worry. If Gakushuu was able to fight on par with Karma, how strong must his father be?

"Don't move."

Nagisa turned to see Asano facing him from down the corridor, a pistol raised in his hands, pointing right at his target; Nagisa.

"The Red Devil isn't with me." Nagisa said, raising his hands slowly. He was still intimidated by Asano, but the fear of him had lessened compared to when they had confronted each other previously. "You best hurry up if you want any chance of catching up to him~"

Nagisa added the last part with the hint of a smirk (Karma must be rubbing off on him).

"Shut your filthy mouth, you're a traitor to our entire species." Asano growled harshly, walking closer until the barrel of his gun mere feet from Nagisa's head. "He's not my target, Shiota. You are. And you've given me the perfect opportunity to finish you."

Nagisa felt his heart drop in his chest. He was defences against Asano. Was he going to die?

"That look of surprise on your face! You're such an idiot. You've been harbouring a Vampire, what did you expect would happen?" Asano sneered. Through his fear, Nagisa managed to notice something; Although Asano was making a show of being arrogant and domineering, his eyes the look in his violet eyes almost seemed fearful. And why was he stalling? if he really intended to kill Nagisa, wouldn't he of done it by now?

"You don't want to kill me, do you?" Nagisa said slowly, his voice was neither taunting nor mocking, just simply understanding. His blue eyes met Asano's. "You don't want to be a murderer."

Asano actually look startled, his eyes widening his grip on his gun loosening.

"I have absolutely no problem killing you!" Asano shouted, a little too quickly, a frantic tone to his voice. "I. Am. Not. Weak."

"Not wanting to kill someone doesn't make you weak, Asano." Nagisa said, slowly, trying to sound calm. "It just makes you human."

"You don't know anything about me." Asano hissed, gritting his teeth, and raising his gun once again so it was level with Nagisa's eyes. "It doesn't matter what I want. This has to be done either way. Sorry, Shiota."

He clicked the safety off the gun, Nagisa flinched and looked away. But a few seconds passed and the sound of a gunshot wasn't heard. Nagisa opened his blue eyes slowly, and took a step towards Asano, who almost jumped back in reaction.

"Don't move! Stay back!"

"You're following commands from the Chairman, right." Nagisa said, still being careful to keep his voice low and as relaxed as possible. "Because technically, I haven't committed any crime. Killing me is illegal."

Asano didn't reply, so Nagisa continued.

"If I so happened to make it back to a populated area, before you managed to catch up to me, then it would be impossible for you to have the chance to kill me, right?" Nagisa said, meeting Asano's eyes conspiratorially. Asano understood instantly what was being offered- A chance for both of them to escape this situation.

Asano had no doubt the Chairman would catch the Red Devil. Perhaps once that Vampire was caught, he would be less insistent on killing Nagisa Shiota.

"Just because he's the Chairman of the school doesn't mean he's always right." Nagisa said, he took a chance and took another step forwards. Slowly, he put his hand over Asano's hand, and pushed it down so he was no longer aiming the gun. Asano allowed him to.

It was a sign that they were in agreement.

"Well, Well, Asano. I never thought you'd sink so low as to conspire with the enemy to escape your duties." A deep, menacing voice said.

Both Nagisa and Asano turned around to see the Chairman standing at the edge of the corridor, his dark clock and pale skin made him appear foreboding, like a symbol of death and misery. The fact he was here must mean Karma managed to escape! Nagisa thought.

"Your order was against the law." Asano replied, once again raising his gun. But despite the bravado, Nagisa could sense he was scared. Asano was the Chairman's son, so he knew first hand how brutal he was.

"Raising your gun against your own father, you've been quite unruly lately." The Chairman said, walking briskly towards them. He hadn't even made a move for his weapon yet, but the atmosphere around him was already terrifying.

"Because your commands have become increasingly insane. Could it be you are finally loosing your mind?" Asano retorted. It was if the father and son duo were the only ones present, Nagisa felt as if he had become part of the background.

"Watch your tongue, boy." The Chairman hissed, his expression darkening into a cold mask of malice when Asano accused him of being insane. Despite their similarities, it was hard to believe these two were related, there wasn't an ounce of affection or closeness between them.

"Nobody will follow an ineffectual leader." Asano said, glaring at him. "I'm not just your puppet."

"I will give you one more chance. One more chance to kill him." The Chairman offered, looking Asano dead in the eye. The scene seemed to freeze. Nagisa held his breath, pressing himself against the corridor wall, Asano still had his gun raised to his father, his defiant expression not wavering, and the Chairman was stood before the two of them, watching them as though they were inferior insects.

Asano made no move to kill Nagisa.

"No? Well I have warned you before that I don't keep around useless weapons." The Chairman growled, then faster than Nagisa could even register, he pulled out a sword from beneath his cloak. The sound of gunshot echoed around the corridor

One moment, the Chairman was stood there, the next his sword was plunged into Asano's stomach. Behind the Chairman, a bullet was lodged into the wall. Asano looked down at the injury, the blood oozing from his stomach, then up at the Chairman, his violet eyes wide and bulging.

"Fa... ther?" He chocked out, as he spoke, a trickle of blood seeped out of his mouth a dribbled down his chin. He fell to his knees as the Chairman pulled the sword out.

"Such a pity." The Chairman mused, "You have such potential."

Nagisa was frozen in shock for a moment, thoughts racing through his brain.. What just happened? Why would the Chairman do that? Asano was his son? How could he?Without even thinking about it, Nagisa fell to his knees next to Asano, and ripped and chunk of his own cloak, quickly pressing it against the bleeding.

"Here." Nagisa said, trying to staunch the flow of blood, to his surprise, Asano pushed him away with shaking hands.

"Get away! Don't touch me." He gasped. Nagisa frowned, going back once again to stop the bleeding.

"Just lie back. I'll stop the bleeding!" Nagisa insisted, he didn't know why Asano wouldn't let him help. The wound was deep, deep enough to kill a person from blood-loss. Any remnants of colour was quickly fading from Asano's face, and his attempt to push Nagisa away became increasingly weaker.

"Get away from me!"

"Just let me help!" Nagisa shouted, his hands now red. The blood pooled on the floor, a sticky crimson colour. Asano put both hands over his mouth and nose, trying to turn away from Nagisa. He glared up at the Chairman, violet eyes full of hatred. The Chairman stood above the two of them, looking down at the scene as if it was amusing, his lips curled into a smile, sharp white teeth showing behind his lips. Nagisa tried to forget he was there, tried to forget that the Chairman would probably kill him as soon as he was bored of watching this scene.

"He's your son, isn't he!" Nagisa shouted, in disbelief that someone could be so careless, so evil. "Help him! He's going to die!"

Nagisa was still kneeling over Asano, trying to stop the bleeding. The blond was still grabbing his wrist, weakly trying to push him away.

"Asano could help himself if he wasn't so stubborn." The Chairman said, sounding amused. What the hell did that mean? Nagisa wondered, but next thing he knew, Asano's grip on him suddenly tightened, and with surprising strength, Asano pulled him downwards onto the floor next to him.

"Asan- Agh!" Nagisa let out a cry as he felt the familiar feeling of fangs piercing the skin of his neck. But it felt different from Karma somehow; Less sharp, and less precise. Nagisa tried to pull his attacker off, but he was held down with an iron grip. Asano was drinking his blood. He realised with a heavy sense of shock.

"Asano!" He shouted, trying to pull the other off. But Asano didn't respond. Didn't even seem to register that Nagisa had spoken.

Korosensei's words echoed in Nagisa's brain.

'Being badly injured makes even natural Vampires ravenously thirsty because human's blood can heal injuries in Vampires'

Asano was a Vampire? But how? Since when? Nagisa glared up at the Chairman. The man looked pleased, a wide grin on his face, his mouth was open, and Nagisa caught a glimpse of fangs too long and sharp to be human... is that why he had hurt Asano? To entice him into drinking blood? Why?

Nagisa couldn't think any more, his brain was foggy, his vision faded, and his last bit of strength was depleted.


	12. The Backstory

When Gakushuu looked back at his early childhood, he remembered it being happy and normal. He played with other kids, and went to school. His mother was always overprotective of him because apparently he was sick as a baby and almost died. Gakushuu hardly saw has father, and when he did, the man rarely spoke, his father was a distant figure in his life. Gakushuu knew from an early age that Daddy had a very important job and he was always busy but Gakushuu had always looked up to him (even if he was also a little bit scared of him).

When Gakushuu turned six, he started to realise he was a little different; he noticed he was always so much faster and stronger than the other kids, he preferred black pudding and rare steak over sweets and candy, and suddenly, even the weakest sunlight hurt his eyes and left him with severe sunburn unless he wore the special blue necklace Daddy had gave him.

But being different didn't bother him too much. He still spent his time like all the other kids, going to the local school, reading books, playing 'Hunters and Vampires' with wooden swords, and helping Mummy around the house, since Daddy was always working at the academy. Gakushuu's oddness seemed to bother Mummy though. Whenever Daddy was home Gakushuu would hear the muffled sounds of them arguing about him.

"It's not normal- he isn't normal- He was out for two seconds without the lapis-lazuli the other day and he burnt!"

"So what- are you suggesting. That he's one of them? If he was, he would of burst into flames. You're being absurd. He's just fair-skinned."

"I didn't say that! I'm saying it isn't normal!.. And what about you! You've changed completely.. Out all hours of the night, what are you doing?"

"Working! To build a better family for us! I'm working on making a safer, stronger town for us to live in!"

Because it made mummy sad, Gakushuu tried his best to be as normal as possibly, playing down his strength, and pretending that he liked the candy other kids ate, even though it tasted like charcoal to him.

But still...

Sometimes being normal was hard. Especially when eating 'normal' food like candy and vegetables left him still feeling hungry. The only food he liked was meat. And no matter how much water he drank, Gakushuu still felt terribly thirsty.

The only thing that satisfied him was blood. Gakushuu knew it was wrong, but in the middle of the night sometimes, when the empty feeling became over-whelming and the hunger was weakening, he'd sneak out of his bedroom, and go down to the chicken coop, kitchen knife in hand. It always happened in a blur; chopping their heads off and sucking their blood out. In the morning he'd feel full of strength, but also like some sort of disgusting monster. When his mother blamed the cat again he would feel overwhelmed with guilt. He wish he knew why he was like this... He couldn't be a vampire, could he? Gakushuu had already read lots of books on Vampires, and he knew they were evil murderers who killed humans for blood, and they had the strength of ten men. Gakushuu had been to executions, he knew that Vampires burst into flames in the sun. Gakushuu wasn't any of those things, he didn't think he was bad or evil, so he couldn't be a Vampire, right?

But why did he suddenly have a taste for blood?

The arguments between mummy and Daddy got worse and worse as the months went on. They seemed to happen every single time Daddy was home (which really wasn't too often, luckily). But even when he wasn't home, Mummy was still stressed. She cried and shouted a lot and Gakushuu didn't know why.

The arguments were always at night, when they thought Gakushuu was asleep. They'd start in hushed tones that would eventually escalate into hissing insults, then barely-restrained shouting. Every time, Gakushuu would sit by his door listening in with bated breath- He couldn't really understood why they fought, Mummy always dismissed it as 'grown-up stuff', but he had a sinking feeling that he was the cause. One night, they were arguing for even longer than usual.

"You can't just keep leaving me like this for days at a time... our child is not normal!" His Mother his mother hissed. "I've seen him killing the Chickens and drinking their blood. No! Don't just dismiss me.. Gakuho!"

Gakushuu bit his lip when she brought that up; So she knew! Would he be in trouble?

"You are acting like a mad woman! Gakushuu is a normal child. A normal human child. You know how busy I am. I have just been named the new chairman of the school! Don't you know what that means? I'll finally have the power to change how this village is run. We wont have to sacrifice our young to the Vampire elders any more.. I'll build a hunter army stronger than anything ever seen before, I'll eradicate all vampires, I'll- "

The sound of flesh making impact on flesh filled the air, and Gakushuu was fairly certain Mummy had just slapped Daddy.

"You are your ideals! They're all you care about these days.. " His mother cried, no longer bothering to keep her voice down. Gakushuu was sure she was crying now, and he wanted to go down and give her a hug and tell Daddy to spend more time with her. But he didn't. "You KNOW that there's something not right with our son. I've known you all my life, Gakuho, I can tell you're hiding something from me. And what about you? Since I told you I was pregnant with our son, have hardly touched me. You don't spend time with me- you don't even want to share the same bed as me half the time- " She said the next part in a low, tear-fulled voice and Gakushuu had to strain to hear her. "What even are you anymore? I've tried to deny it all these years but on that mission you went on eight years ago... you were turned weren't you? Just admit it, you're a Vampire!"

Gakushuu gasped out loud, feeling a cold chill run down his spine at the mere accusation his father could be a vampire. How? That was impossible, right? Daddy was a hunter. He wasn't evil. He didn't kill people. He couldn't be a Vampire.

"You are beyond delusional." Father said sternly, over the sound of Mummy sobbing. "I am human, and so is our son!"

"You're a liar!" Mummy shouted. "Do you think I haven't noticed how you haven't aged a day in seven years! You look the exact same as you did when you were in your twenties! You're a monster! You were turned, and then you impregnated me with some sort of disgusting abomination! How could you? You infected my womb with your monster DNA and used me too harvest some sort of ungodly Vampire-Human hybrid."

Gakushuu felt tears prick his eyes as she spoke. She's not talking about you he tried desperately to convince himself, as he hugged his knees and lent against the door. You're a human. You're a human. You aren't a Vampire, You're not a monster.

"Were are you going?" Father shouted, as Gakushuu heard the sound of two pairs of angry footsteps charging up the stairs. The next thing he knew, his bedroom door was flung open, and his Mother stood over him, tears streaming down her face, and her blue eyes abalze with something akin to grief.

"I'm sorry!" Gakushuu cried quickly, although he wasn't sure exactly for what he was apologizing. His mother didn't respond, she just kneeled down next to him and pulled him into a hug that was far too tight. His father quickly followed her upstairs, and glared down at the scene before him.

"You're scaring him." His father said, a dangerous look in his eyes. He looked unhinged, and at the moment, Gakushuu wasn't sure which parent he was more afraid of.

"If you are both human, you can prove it." Mother growled, not sounding like her usual self at all. "I'll tell the council my theory. I'm sure if you really are human, you wont have any problem with proving it using the sunlight test. I'll go, right now!"

She made a move to stand up, but father pushed her back with surprising force. She fell back onto the floor, and looked up at her husband, horrified. He looked equally shocked, unable to believe what he had just done.

"Please just calm down!" Father exclaimed. "Don't go spreading rumors. You know how dangerous that is!"

"If you're human why wont you just prove it!" Mother shouted back from the floor, silencing any of Father's further arguments. Gakushuu stood in between the two, not wanting to say a word. He was too scared and too confused, and couldn't escape the feeling that this was all his fault. Surprisingly, Gakuho didn't respond with another comeback. He looked down on the floor with a conflicted expression. It was something Gakushuu had never seen on his father before. The man had always been so strong and undeterred in every sense.

"Whatever I am.. whatever we are. We're still your family. And I love you." Dad said, a tone of somber admission in his voice, but there was also a sense of him seeking acceptance. He took a tentative step towards his wife, but she backed away on all fours, a scream ripping from her throat. It was horrifying for Gakushuu to see his mother on the floor, looking as though her sanity had completely left her. Her eyes bulged, and the look of her eyes was one of sheer horror.

"I'm sorry." Gakushuu repeated walking over to her, to try and help, to do something. He didn't expect for his mother to grab him by his wrist, and stand up quickly, dragging him up in the process.

"I'm going to get rid of this thing Gakuho!" Mummy shouted, holding her son in an iron grip. "I'm going to dispose of this abomination that never should of been born in the first place!"

The next thing Gakushuu knew, he had been wrenched from his mother's grip by his father, who looked almost as insane as Mummy, like he was inches from slipping over the edge. The man picked him up and held him away from his mother. Gakushuu could feel his father's arms shaking with the rage he was clearly trying to restrain.

"He is not a thing he is our son!" Gakuho hissed. "Don't touch him."

"Fine! If you wont let me get rid of it, then I'm telling the council- and I'm telling them about you as well. Both of you will be executed!" Mother screamed, looking more like a scary demon than the kind mother Gakushuu knew. He was sick of them talking about things he didn't understand, like he wasn't really there. Mother made a move to get through the door, but Gakuho stopped her.

"Let me past, dammit!" Mother roared, trying to push her husband out the way. He didn't budge an inch. "You can't keep me here forever! There's no escaping this! I will get rid of the two of you for what you've done to me! You've made me into a part of your unholy act! I'll see to it that you both die, then I'll kill myself I'll- "

She was cut off when Gakuho struck her across the face. Mummy went flying across the room like a rag-doll, and smacked hard into the wall. The sound of bones cracking echoed around the room, and Mother let out a groan of pain. She pulled herself up of the floor with shaking arms, blood dribbling down from her forehead into her eyes.

"Mummy!" Gakushuu cried in shock. The next thing he knew, he had been dropped to the floor, and Daddy ran over to Mummy at inhuman speeds. For a brief moment, Gakushuu thought that he was going to help her, but instead, the man did something that Gakushuu would never forgive him for: Gakuho grabbed his wife with a grip strong enough to break the skin, and pulled her towards him. Mother let out a deafening shriek as fangs pierced her neck, and began to drain her blood.

Gakushuu ran over and tried to pull Daddy away, but of course, he wasn't strong enough. It was like the man couldn't even hear him, Father had gone from a composed man to a feral beast within a matter of a few seconds. It seemed to happen so quickly. One moment Mummy was flailing in his arms, trying to fight him off, the next she was limp and impossibly still.

Gakuho dropped her to the floor and stood up, a trickle of blood escaping his mouth and rolling down his chin. He blinked a few times, apparently coming back to reality; He saw the scene before him and realised his actions.. His wife lay dead in a pool of her own blood, and his terrified son was crying and clinging to his leg. He swallowed, burying any feelings he may have. He had to sort out this mess.

"I'm starting to loose control." He muttered under his breath. His thought process was interrupted by another loud sob from his son.

"S- Save Mummy. She's hurt. We need help." Gakushuu was crying, it was diffuclt to understand him through the tears. Gakuho sighed, and turned to face his son, placing his hands on his shoulders and kneeling down so they were the same height.

"Your mother is dead. I just killed her." Gakuho said, his voice devoid of any emotion. As predicted, Gakushuu started wailing and and calling him a liar. He tried to run to his mother, but Gakuhou tightened his grip. "She. Is. Dead."

"I'll kill you!" Gakushuu shouted at him, shaking with fear and rage. His violet eyes might be tear-filled, but they were full of bloodlust. Good Gakuho thought.

"If you want to kill me for what I've done, then you'll have to get stronger, far stronger." Gakuho told him. "You've worked it out, right? I'm a vampire. And you're a human-Vampire hybrid. You probably have no idea how rare you are, you might be the only one of your kind. And listen to me- that isn't a good thing. Because humans and vampires will try to kill you."

"I can't be." Gakushuu murmured, part of him refusing to believe, not wanting to believe that he was anything but human. But as young as he was, he knew it made sense; Because as horrified as he was at his mother's murder, the scent of blood pooled around her body was still appetizing. Gakushuu hated himself for even thinking it..."I'm telling! I'm telling the village leaders that you're a Vampire and you killed my mummy!"

"Is that really such a good idea, Gakushuu?" Father said slyly. "If they find out I'm a Vampire, they'll find out you're a hybrid. You'll be excecuted right next to me. Is that really what you want?"

Gakushuu froze, terrified. No he didn't want to die. So he kept quiet: When father told the authorities that a rouge Vampire had killed mother, during the funeral, when the other kids at school asked what happened, he didn't speak a word. He felt trapped. There was nobody he could tell. All that time he silently hated his father; He was an evil Vampire, he was the one who made mummy crazy, he was the one who killed her. But as much as he hated the Chairman, the man was still his sole guardian, and Gakushuu was raised under him.

Father's training methods were brutal. For hours after school and on weekends, the basics of fighting were drilled into Gakushuu's memory. He may have only been seven, but he was already being forced to learn stuff that you weren't meant to be taught until you joined the academy at eleven. Gakushuu was no longer had times to play games or go to the park, it seemed like every day was spent in the Garden, holding a sword that was far too big for a seven year old, with his father in front of him barking commands. Whenever Gakushuu began to falter in his studies, or attempted to give up, his father was quick to remind him of his status as a Vampire Hybrid.

"You might be stronger than your human peers, but you're still weaker than a full-blooded Vampire. And besides, you want revenge on me, don't you? For killing your mother. You're going to have to get a lot stronger if you even have a hope of defeating me."

Father would usually back up that statement by showing off his inhuman strength, usually by kicking doing a tree, or bending an iron sword until it broke, once when they were training in the forest he even punched a boulder, making it crumble beneath his fist. Yes, father was a powerful enemy, and Gakushuu loathed him. But he was forced to remain under his control, there was no way Gakushuu could expose his father as a Vampire to the council, because after all, if Gakushuu's own mother had attempted to kill him for being a hybrid, he had no chance of getting any mercy from the townsfolk.

Gakushuu hated his father intensely, he hated how impossibly powerful he was, how much control he had over everything. He despised his father, and by extension despised all vampires. He hated that he shared even half his DNA with them.

When Gakushuu wasn't doing physical training, he was locked away in his room, forced to read from big old dusty books all about the history of hunter's, and magic, and ancient weapons, and Vampire physiology.

"It says here that turned Vampires succumb to insanity over time. Usually within a year but sometimes sooner." Gakushuu said to his father with fringed nonchalance one evening, a glint of mischief in his eyes. "That applies to you, right? You were born human, right? Does this mean you're going to go completely crazy soon? After all, it's been at least seven years."

His father glared at him with a sour expression. How exactly he had been turned into a Vampire, and why he chose to hide it and sire a hybrid child where secrets the Chairman wouldn't reveal, and a subject he wasn't fond of talking about. "If you had read the whole chapter like I had asked, you would know that you can delay loosing your mind by drinking the blood from fellow vampires."

"I did read the whole chapter, and what it actually says is that drinking from fellow turned Vampires only delays madness, not prevent it. The only way to prevent it is to have a regular blood supply from a natural Vampire. And I doubt you have that." Gakushuu said smugly. He let out a yelp of surprise when the Chairman suddenly grabbed him by the ankle, and pulled him out of his desk chair, and dangled him upside down.

"I don't know what you're so smug about, you little brat." Father growled, Gakushuu scrabbled to get free. "If I loose my mind you'll be the first one to be killed. You're still human enough the be semi-appetising to Vampires."

With that, he let go, and Gakushuu only just about managed to land on his feet.

"You're already crazy." He muttered, shook. The thought of his father drinking blood from other vampires and humans sickened Gakushuu. That's one thing he vowed never to do, he'd never drink human blood like a filthy animal. No matter how much he craved it.

Gakushuu killed his first Vampire a few weeks before he turned eight. It was in the academy basement; His father had brought him down there in secret to a dark chamber, it was night time, Gakushuu knew that his father was breaking several laws by bringing a child to the forbidden parts of the academy, but when both of their existences were violations of the law it was hard to care.

In the middle of the labyrinth, chained to the pole like cattle, was a Vampire. It didn't look anything like father, this blood-sucker looked far more feral, like the monsters depicted in all the books. It snapped its fangs and growled and shrieked. It was one thing training to kill a Vampire, it was another thing doing it.

"This shouldn't be a problem for you." Father said, handing Gakushuu his sword. "This Vampire is blood-deprived and has completely succumb to madness, and it's movements are restricted by the chains. I couldn't of selected an easier prey for you."

"How did you manage to capture it? I thought you changed the law so all Vampires must be killed on sight." Gakushuu asked, as horrifying as the monster was, he couldn't help but feel a sense of morbid curiosity. "Is it wearing a hunter's uniform?"

"Very observant, Gakushuu." Father commented, his lips curling up to a sinister smile. "Let's just say that I've found a use for my weakest students."

Gakushuu looked up at him questioningly, was Father admitting to turning his students into Vampires for training purposes? Is that why members of E class kept disappearing? Before Gakushuu could continue that train of thought, the Chairman pushed him forwards.

"Stop dawdling now. Kill it." He commanded. Gakushuu's footsteps echoed as he walked across the chamber towards the beast- Now that he looked at it, he could see that the Vampire didn't look all that old, only a young teenager. But that didn't stop his heart from pounding in his chest as he approached it.

The thing glared at him, sniffing the air, probably having a hard time deciphering if Gakushuu was human enough to drink from. He glared at the monster, and imagined it was his father. In that moment, his fear dissipated and was replaced with pure rage. Gakushuu held his sword like he had been taught from months of training. Both of them struck at once; The Vampire launched forwards and Gakushuu slashed his sword through the air There was the dull thud of flesh hitting hard floor, and Gakushuu looked up. He'd beheaded it, just like that. That had been so easy. Gakushuu turned to look at his father, an unconscious smile forming on his face. And he swore, for a split second, an expression of pride flickered in the Chairman's eyes.

Kids twice Gakushuu's age hadn't managed to kill a Vampire, Gakushuu thought. For the first time in his life, he had a taste of feeling truly strong. It was addicting. He wanted to get stronger and stronger until nobody could stand in his way. He wanted to be the strongest so neither humans nor vampires could stand in his way. And then, he could kill his father.

Training got even more intense after that. Slaying chained Vampires became a regular thing. After a few more months he worked his way up to unchained. With every kill, Gakushuu became more arrogant of his strength, and increasingly desperate to attain more of it. Killing Vampires was cathartic, every single time he killed one, he imagined it was his father. The Vampires were all stronger than him, but he was better.

Father no longer needed to prompt him to study, he began to learn out of a thirst for knowledge on how to become more powerful. Gakushuu tried not think about how these Vampires were townsfolk purposefully changed into bloodsuckers by his father- They were vagrants, criminals, people too sick to work and of course, E class members. But they were still people, or at least, they used to be. But father was using them for training purposes, and turning them so he could drink their blood and retain some semblance of sanity. Gakushuu felt as if he wasn't too different from those people in a way, because just like them, he was just a being used as a puppet for the Chairman. His father constantly told Gakushuu that he wanted him to be strong just so he had a 'powerful weapon' at his disposal. Whenever father said that, Gakushuu would scowl at him, and father would simply laugh and say;

"Of course, if you don't want to be my weapon, you could always just kill me."

When Gakushuu was ten, he decided to take a different route. He tried to escape. After school one day, he packed a sword, a bag full of necessities and a map, and ran away. In his books he had read about far away towns and cities were Vampires and Humans actually lived together. Perhaps in a place like that, he would find a place. He was confident in his abilities, he was sure he could survive on his own.

Gakushuu lasted just two days before his father tracked him down. He hadn't even made it to the mountains when a hoard of Vampires managed to corner him near the edge of the forest. There were four of them, they all looked wild and emancipated but none of them as weak and loose-minded as the Vampires Gakushuu was used to fighting.

"Well well, what do we have here?" A female one with ragged hair sneered. It was the first time Gakushuu had heard a Vampire other than his father speak a full sentence. "Looks like a little boy wondered too far from the village."

Another one; a male this time, licked his lips. "No hard feelings kid, but I'm starving." He snickered. They weren't prepared for a ten year old child to launch forward with notable force, and slice of the female vampire's head in one swoop of his sword. Gakushuu smirked. Their reactions were so slow because they'd assumed he was weak. Their loss. The three remaining Vampires quickly turned towards him, eyes full of malice. Gakushuu tightened his grip on his sword; Sure, He no longer had the element of surprise, these Vampires looked a lot stronger than the ones he was used to, and they were in a group, but Gakushuu was certain he'd slay them all.

He never found out for certain though, because before he had the chance, a sudden blur passed by his eyes. One moment three nasty-looking Vampires were squaring up to him, the next, there were three mangled bodies lying on the floor, and Father was stood before him. The man had a face like thunder, his mauve eyes were alight like pits of smouldering lava. Gakushuu felt like a fist had clenched his heart.

In a moment of foolish, adrenaline-fuelled self-defence, Gakushuu attempted to swing his sword towards the man, but as expected, his father caught the blade easily, and tossed it out of his hand. The Next thing Gakushuu knew, he had been picked up by his wrist and hurled through the air like a rag doll. He went flying several meters before smashing into a tree, winding himself. He gasped for breath, panic seizing him; Father had never hurt him before, not like this! Was he going to be killed for running away?Before he had even managed to pull himself off the ground, Father was standing over him, glaring at Gakushuu as if he was dirt.

"You are such an idiot." Father spat. "You're lucky I would never allow another Vampire to break my property. You're so weak. You wouldn't of lasted a minute against those three."

"I could of killed them easily!" Gakushuu gasped from the floor, glaring up at his father. The next thing he knew, Gakushuu had been grabbed by the neck and lifted up off the floor, his legs dangling a few feet from the ground.

"It seems you need reminding of exactly how weak you are." Father said coldly. Before Gakushuu had a chance to react, he was pressed against the tree, and he suddenly felt the sharp pain of fangs piercing his neck.

He started to scream, and try and fight the man off him, but it was like punching a brick wall. Was this all his life amounted to? Being used by this despicable man for his convenience? Gakushuu's struggles became more feeble as more blood was taken, and fairly soon he was slumped against the tree, his energy depleted. He felt so pathetic, he was already dizzy and lightheaded. Father finally pulled away, his fangs scarlet with blood, and eyes still practically glowing with hunger.

"Gakushuu." He said in a low dangerous voice, grabbing the boy's face so he couldn't look away. "You know Vampires can track the last person they drank from, right? You can't run from me. The only way you can escape is to kill me."

"I will kill you." Gakushuu wheezed, hating how broken his voice sounded. He truly hated his father. The man treated him like a possession, and shaped his life how he saw fit. Vampires thought they could do this just because they had strength! Gakushuu didn't care how hard he had to work, he would get stronger.

"That's the spirit." Father chuckled, but there was no humour behind the laugh. "Remember this feeling. This is what it feels like to be weak. If you don't like it, keep fighting."

Having his blood drank became somewhat of a regular punishment for Gakushuu after that, reserved for whenever he didn't meet his father's increasingly more difficult demands. It's purpose was two-fold; It reminded Gakushuu of how 'weak' he was, and it stopped him from being able to leave the village. Gakushuu thought it was disgusting. It strengthened his resolve to never drink human blood. He couldn't stand the thought of biting someone's neck and drinking it- he refused to stoop to that level! (Even if his father always told him that drinking human blood, instead of just animal meat and blood would make him stronger).

When Gakushuu entered the academy, things started to look up. Before, the other kids weren't training to be Hunter's yet, but now they were, and everyone from students to teachers were in awe of Gakushuu's skills. Of course, he had a genetic edge over them, but he also had four years of training over them too. Nobody could compete. Gakushuu loved it- He loved the admiration and the envy, all of it fed his ego.

He got a little too arrogant, and that was how, during first year he managed to get cornered by some older students and forced into the 'Execution Game'.

Gakushuu had underestimated them all because they were just humans. But when they ambushed him, he didn't expect them to manage to rip off the lapis-lazuli necklace he always kept hidden under his uniform. After that, he was completely at their mercy. A Vampire would burst into flames in the sun, for Gakushuu it wasn't fatal, but it was incredibly painful; He could feel it's rays blistering his skin, he hardly noticed the older boys kicking and punching him, because the sun was far more agonising.

"Heh- maybe he really is a Vampire. Look at 'im he's burning up." On of the boys chuckled. He dangled the necklace over Gakushuu's head. "You want this?"

Gakushuu reached for it with shaking arms, only to have his fingers trod on by leather boots. He gritted his teeth. He'd kill these bastards!

"Nah, if he was a real Vampire he'd be in flames." Another boy said. "Isn't this brat supposed to be strong? He just looks like an ordinary weakling to me. Hey! Brat! If you beg and cry then we might just let you go!"

"Give me it back or you'll regret it!" Gakushuu shouted, but this earned him mocking laughs and a kick to the stomach. He hated this! Gakushuu had always attributed all his weakness' to the human side of himself, but he fully realised now that being part-Vampire meant that he had all sorts of weaknesses humans didn't have. Sunlight, Vervain, holy water. He might have half of Vampire strength but he was also half-susceptible to their weaknesses. The torture seemed to go on for ages before someone intervened. Gakushuu felt close to loosing consciousness, this exposure to the sun was excruciating.

"Hey! Get away from him! You're hurting him!" A soft voice called out. Gakushuu looked over to see a petite girl (at least he thought it was) with blue hair and wide azure eyes. She looked meek and terrified, not exactly who Gakushuu would pick for a rescuer. His attackers turned to glare at her.

"Buzz of, girlie! This is non of your concern." A gang member said, harshly. Gakushuu expected her to turn-tail and run, but instead, despite her obvious fear she stood her ground.

"This execution game is barbaric! I can't believe a gang of fourth years are picking on one first year! Look! You've hurt that boy so badly, do you know how much trouble you'll be in if you go any further?" She said, her legs shaking as she spoke. The gang exchanged nervous glances with each other.

"We're leaving now. Because we're bored. Not because you told us too!" The burliest of the boys grumbled. He was easily twice the blue haired girls size. Him and the rest of the gang began to stalk off into the woods, but before they left, one of them punched the girl hard in the face, then in the stomach.

"That's for telling us what to do, brat!" He called back, tossing Gakushuu's lapis-lazuli necklace over his shoulder as he left. Under normal circumstances, Gakushuu would of been mortified at being rescued by a frail looking girl, but at the time, he felt more grateful than humiliated. He was just happy it was over. On hands and knees, he scrabbled over to his lapis-lazuli chain, and picked it up with bruised fingers. The effect was instant. The Sun rays no longer felt like beams of burning radiation, of course, the wounds he had already acquired were still agonising.

"Oh my God! I can't believe what they've done to you!" The girl gasped, taking in the burns and bruises on Gakushuu's body. She looked horrified. "Are you okay?"

I'm fine." Gakushuu said gruffly, pulling himself up off the floor, only to feel his ankle give way underneath him. Before he fell to the floor however, the girl rushed over and caught him, managing to support Gakushuu by pulling his arm over her shoulder. She was far smaller than Gakushuu so there was no way she could carry him.

"It's okay, I've got you." She said, tugging off her jacket and draping it over Gakushuu's shoulders, covering the skin that was exposed were his shirt was ripped. Somehow, the girl felt like a comforting presence. She was sweet.

"I'm fine." Gakushuu repeated, but he didn't pull away from her and despite his pride allowed himself to be helped, because his vision was blurring and he felt close to passing out.

"Here- I'll take you to the hospital. My name's Nagisa, by the way- " She said, and started walking. Gakushuu hardly registered her words. She was right next to him, but her voice sounded far away somehow. Gakushuu was suddenly aware of how close they were, and how delicious the scent of her blood was. His usual blood lust was intensified by his injuries. He felt his fangs start to ache, and his throat felt suddenly intensely dry.

Do it. Bite her pretty white neck. Drink her blood. A voice inside urged him to drink her blood. He squashed it. He wasn't a beast. He wasn't like father. Gakushuu bit his hand, letting the taste of his own blood fill his mouth in an attempt to distract himself.

"A-are you okay can you hear me? You keep zoning out- " the girl was saying, her voice sounding warped. Was the extended exposure to sunlight the reason it was so hard to think? Gakushuu couldn't remember what else happened after that, he must of blacked out. He woke up suddenly when he felt something hard and painful slap him across the face.

"You idiot!" Father hissed. "You went to the hospital? You're lucky I got here before they managed to do a thorough check on you and realised you aren't completely human. How would you explain broken fingers healing in a day? And burns disappearing within hours?"

Gakushuu blinked and took in the situation; He was sat on a white hospital bed in a pale windowless room. Father was pulling him into sitting position by his collar. The man was furious.

"I- "

"I can't believe you're pathetic enough to be attacked by humans." The Chairman scoffed. Gakushuu felt shame settle in his stomach. He was angry at them, and angry at himself. How could he have been so weak? Gakushuu vowed to take revenge on his upper class men, but before he had a chance, all four of them mysteriously disappeared during their Hunter's exam. Gakushuu didn't even bother to ask the Chairman if he was behind it.

That incident was the only defeat Gakushuu suffered during his time at the academy. He began to go on real missions, and he started to seek out strong pupils and training them. Before the academy, Gakushuu never had time to spend with other kids, now he was seen as a leader, with hoards of loyal followers behind him. As much as he hated his father, he followed his philosophy of 'strength above all else, weak is the worst thing you can be.'

So he got stronger. He got more followers, trained with more weapons, killed more Vampires. Everything he did, every move he made, was all for the sake of attaining more strength. He didn't engage in frivolities, he didn't waste time, he just worked.. He was unstoppable. At least, he thought so until the Red Devil came to town.

Karma ran through the academy, searching for a window or a door to break out off. God, the corridors were ridiculously long and winding. Who designed this academy? It was like a maze! How did anyone even get to class?

He could no longer hear his pursuers. He just hoped Nagisa was okay. But what the boy had said made sense; Nagisa was in more danger if he was with Karma, because the 'Red Devil' was who the hunter's are after.

But still.

Leaving him alone made Karma feel uneasy. Beyond uneasy. Terrified. What if something happened and Karma wasn't there to protect him? What if he got hurt? Or worse?

Was I always such a mother hen?' Karma muttered to himself. He had been alone for so long that having another person to worry about was almost overwhelming. Karma was well-aware that his isolated upbringing meant he wasn't the most emotionally balanced person alive. I have to trust him. Karma thought. Then suddenly, the air was thick with the coppery smell of blood. Someone had been hurt. Badly. Probably about 100 meters away. Was it human or Vampire? Karma couldn't tell.

Nagisa's words echoed in his head 'Just run!'

Should he just escape? Was that the right thing to do? Just as Karma was about to smash through a window up ahead, another scent hit him. The smell of another person's blood filled the air, distinct from the first smell. It was a light, sweet scent. Karma recognised it instantly.

Nagisa.

He was running towards the smell of blood before he even fully registered the situation. His protective instinct was unconscious as this point. Nagisa is hurt! Nagisa is bleeding! I have to save Nagisa! Like a wild beast he tore through the corridors at blinding speeds. A whole range of emotions gurgled through his brain; Worry, anger, guilt, fear. Around the corner, up the stairs- he needed to get to Nagisa, now! It took Karma seconds to reach Nagisa, fuelled by blind panic. The scene he came across shocked him;

The corridor was covered in pools of fresh blood, it suggested the amount of blood-loss that could kill a person but that wasn't what caught Karma's attention. Asano, that insufferable Hunter brat had a smaller figure pinned to the floor. He was leaning over them, his mouth attached to their neck, drinking their blood. Asano was covered in blood himself. A rip in his uniform revealed a shockingly deep stab wound- that must be the the source of all the blood. What the hell? Why was that brat drinking blood, he wasn't a Vampire, right?

Karma's eyes focused on Asano's victim, and he felt his heart turn to ice. There, lying beneath Asano, looking deathly pale and limp, was Nagisa. Karma's Nagisa. Having his blood drank by somebody else. by Asano.

With a instinctive rage more powerful than Karma thought he was capable of feeling, the Vampire tore forward and tackled Asano with all his strength, pulling the bastard away from his Nagisa. Rational thought went out the window. He no longer questioned why Asano was drinking blood, he just knew Asano was going to pay for doing it. Karma smacked into Asano, sending the two of them hurtling into the floor, hard enough to make the wood splinter beneath them.

Karma pinned Asano to the floor, baring his fangs, his mercury eyes ablaze.

"I'm going to kill you, bastard. You'll regret hurting Nagisa." He growled.

Asano put up surprisingly little resistance, he just looked up at Karma with a dazed expression, his eyes still misted over with blood-lust. He was completely out of it- Probably because of the blood-loss. That didn't sate Karma's desire for revenge though; He was going to beat the shit out of this guy then rescue Nagisa. He raised his fist to pulverise Asano's face, when suddenly a voice behind him spoke.

"I would suggest not doing that." It was that bastard of a Chairman. He was suddenly stood behind Karma, dangerously close to Nagisa's unconscious body.

"You- " Karma growled in shock. Were did this guy come from? How the hell had he snuck up on him? Now Karma was close to the Chairman, he could sense how intimidating his aura was. There was something undeniably sinister about it. The way he sounded so calm despite two of his pupils (one of whom was his son) suffering from major blood loss right before his eyes was concerning to say the least.

"I know you're angry. I understand all too well how vexing it can be when someone else steals your prey." The Chairman said, with a sly smile. "But this human has such delicious blood, I'm sure you can forgive my son his transgression."

The Chairman turned Nagisa's face to the side with his foot, and Karma saw red. He jumped up off Asano, and charged towards the Chairman as full force, fully intending to rip him apart. The Chairman just smiled, and with an impossibly fast movement, grabbed Karma's wrists, and held them with an iron grip that bordered on painful.

"What the hell?" Karma cried, trying to break free. How the hell could this man be so strong? Unless. "You aren't human!"

"You catch on fast." The Chairman said, his grip tightening on Karma's wrists until the sound of bone breaking could be heard. Karma let out a cry of pain. The Chairman just laughed.

"Wh- when your people find out about this, they'll kill you." Karma shouted, frustrated that he couldn't break free. This man, this Vampire, was stronger than anyone Karma had fought before. He was so frustrated. How could he loose?

"They haven't discovered me in sixteen years, so I doubt they will any time soon." The Chairman chuckled arrogantly. Sixteen years!? Karma mentally gasped. That's an impossibly long time for a turned Vampire to retain some semblance of sanity, even if they were drinking Vampire blood. Karma's train of thought was interrupted when the Chairman bent his wrist even further back. Karma let out another cry of pain as the bone shattered further and bent in a way it wasn't supposed to.

"Ahh! Bastard!" Karma growled, the pain was overwhelming. He tried to pull free with all his might, tried to kick the man away, but the Chairman just pushed him against the wall, hard enough the some of the flagstones crumbled under the force. Karma was completely at this man's mercy, and he felt like such an idiot for walking straight into a trap again. If only he had remembered what Korosensei taught him! If only he'd thought ahead instead of letting his anger take over, and charging in.

Karma had so many questions! He glanced at Asano and Nagisa, both of them unconscious on the floor- Why was Asano drinking Nagisa's blood? Was he a Vampire? Had he been turned recently? Why were the people running a village that was based around hunting Vampires blood-suckers themselves?

Karma put those thoughts to the back of his head. He accepted he'd likely never get answers. Now he had to assure Nagisa's safety.

"Okay. You've got the Red Devil just like you wanted. Just hurry up and slay me, there's no need to get anyone else involved." Karma said, sounding confident and brave, he glared straight into the Chairman's mauve eyes. But he didn't feel it. In truth he was terrified, he honestly didn't want to die, the pain from his broken arms was intense. There was part of him just wanted to cry.

"Oh, is this you trying to bargain to sacrifice your own life in return for me sparring your little toy over there." The Chairman smirked, his eyes flicking over to Nagisa's unconscious form. The human boy was deathly pale and his pulse was slowing. "How noble. But you aren't in any position to be bargaining."

Karma gritted his teeth. He hated this bastard! He couldn't let him kill Nagisa. There had to be some sort of leverage he could use.. something...

"Just don't kill him. E class will avenge him!" Karma tried. It was a pathetic threat and he knew it. "They have a demon on their side. Do you think he'll just let that slide?"

"Clutching at straws, are we?" The Chairman taunted, bending Karma's arms back further. Karma bit his lip and groaned. Oh god the bastard was sadistic. "You know. Everyone was treating you as if you're such a big threat, Red Devil, but in actuality, you're incredibly weak. I can't believe my son had so much trouble against you. How pathetic."

Karma didn't say anything, just glared at the man. Up until now, all he'd ever fought was crazed turned-vampires, weak human hunters, and whatever-the-hell-Asano-was. He'd never been up against a creature that had been a Vampire so long, and had such a plentiful supply of blood and training as a hunter. The difference in strength was huge. For the first time in his life, Karma knew what it felt like to be truly weak.

"But you know-" The Chairman continued. "I'm glad Asano was too weak to kill you. Because you might be more useful than I first thought, now that I know you're natural born- " he started to say. Before Karma had a chance to protest, he felt fangs sink into his neck, piercing his skin, draining his blood. Karma let out a strangled cry and tried to fight the guy off, but it was impossible. Korosensei's words echoed in his head.

'If Turned-Vampires consumes the blood of natural Vampires it can keep them sane'

Fuck! Was that what he was being used for. Karma felt enraged. He'd kill this man. He'd kill him for what he'd done to his students, to Nagisa, to himself. Even as Karma's vision faded to black, his hatred still burned.


	13. Purgatory

Intense pain. Blue eyes wide with fear. The coppery yet irresistible taste of blood. A flash of red.

Darkness.

Gakushuu opened his eyes, an acute sense of panic filling him. He didn't know what was happening, but he had a sudden sense of danger.

He sat up quickly, only to feel gentle yet firm hands pushing him down by his shoulders, back onto the bed he was lying on.

"Easy now. You don't want to re-open the wound, right?" A familiar voice said. Gakushuu blinked, and took in his surroundings; He was lying on a white bed, with white curtains surrounding it. Out a small window he could see it was dark outside. Evevning time- he must of been out for a few hours. He was in the hospital. Hovering above him was Ren, a concerned look on his face.

"What happened?" Gakushuu asked, it seemed like a lame question but it was all he could think of. His was suddenly aware stomach hurt like he had been stabbed (oh yeah, he had. By his own father).

"The Chairman, your father, brought you here after the Red Devil stabbed you. He was so worried, he insisted on treating you himself. He was so relived that the attack missed any of your vital organs. He's addressing the school at the moment- So I said I'd watch over you." Ren explained quickly, moving to sit on the chair my Gakushuu's bedside. Gakushuu resisted the urge to scoff; Of course the Chairman insisted on treating him himself, he couldn't risk anyone finding out Gakushuu wasn't human when they noticed his enhanced healing, probably even more enhanced than usual now that he'd consumed human blood. Human blood. Shit. Gakushuu felt a sudden jolt of dread as blurry memories of drinking Nagisa's blood filled his head.

"Nagisa.. Nagisa Shiota. He was there. What happened to him?" Gakushuu asked tentatively, almost afraid of the answer. Ren looked down.

"That poor boy. He was so foolish to trust a Vampire and let it into the school." Ren sighed. "The Chairman told us that the Red Devil drank Nagisa's blood dry as soon as he got the chance. Even the Chairman couldn't save Nagisa before he slew the Red Devil."

Gakushuu couldn't help the strangled gasp that escaped his lips; He'd killed Nagisa. He'd drank his blood and killed him like some sort of wild beast. He was no better than his father now. Images of Nagisa filled his mind; He really was just a foolish weakling who had gotten mixed up with the wrong people. And Gakushuu had killed him, and ate him. He felt like a disgusting monster, like one of the many Vampires he'd killed over the years.

He didn't even realise he was crying until he felt Ren lean forward and brush a tear of his cheek with his thumb. "Hey- it's okay! There was nothing you could do about it. You can't save everyone, Asano." The other said gently, sounding somewhat shocked to see his leader crying (Asano hardly showed any emotion at all, after all, besides determination and irritation). Gakushuu was mortified at his display of weakness. He couldn't even roll and face away from Ren because of his injury.

"I mean, at least the Red Devil has finally been killed and his reign of terror is over before he had wrecked too much damage."

Gakushuu thought of Karma- That Vampire infuriated him. He was so arrogant, and disrespectful and relied on his natural powers rather than actually working. And yet. Gakushuu didn't think he deserved to die; After all, annoying as he was, Karma had never killed anyone. Unlike Gakushuu.

Gakushuu wondered if his sadistic bastard of a father had tortured the Vampire before killing him, then decided he'd rather not know.

Gakushuu quickly wiped his eyes and went to sit up again. "Where is my uniform?" He asked. He wasn't sure what else he could do, but he wanted to get out of these stupid hospital robes and go and join the main school and do.. something. Lying here just made him more anxious. "And what about my sword?"

Once again, Ren attempted to pushed him back down onto the bed, an exasperated look on his face as Asano refused to budge. "Your uniform is covered in blood, and your father put your weapons somewhere safe." Ren exclaimed. "But it doesn't matter. You're not in danger now. All you need to do is recover from your injury."

Asano let out a defeated sigh through gritted teeth, and lay back down on the bed, scowling at the ceiling. Once again, he had attempted to rebel against his father and he had lost. He started to believe the appearance of the Red Devil would change things in their town, but the

Vampire was now gone as suddenly as he arrived.

Things would probably slowly go back to normal now, with the whole village believing the Chairman's warped version of events; The Red Devil had killed Nagisa and stabbed Asano, and his father had killed him from it.

E class sat in the main hall alongside the rest of the school; The room was packed with the students from the exam, all of them speaking, spreading rumours, trying to make sense of what happened at the exams this morning. It was evening now, and real answers still hadn't been given, all they had to go off was rumours.

There were some things E class knew had definitely happened; Somebody had opened the gate to the labyrinth and allowed the Vampires out (Karma had been blamed for this). Karma and Nagisa had ran into the main building while being pursued by the Asano's. All four of them hadn't been seen since.

The combination of students and hunter's had managed to fight off the Vampires before anyone was killed or seriously injure. And after hours of waiting, two D class students still hadn't returned from the labyrinth.

Despite the noise being made by other students, E class sat in silence, all of them too consumed by their own worries to speak.

Nagisa and Karma had to be okay, right? As strong as the Asano's were, humans like them couldn't compete with a Natural Born Vampire like Karma, right? The two of them had probably escaped hours ago, and re-grouped with Korosensei. Or so E class kept telling themselves.

Karasuma stood nearby, but there was no use asking him; He didn't even know Karma had been helping E class (they kept it from him, to stop him getting in trouble with his superiors for collaborating with Vampires).

Suddenly, the room went silent. E class looked up to see the Chairman making his way onto the podium. His dark cloak billowed behind him as he moved, and there was an unreadable expression on his face.

The E class and the rest of the school awaited in tense silence for his words. Kayano and Okuda held each others hands tight, even the normally laid-back Rio looked perturbed. (Just tell us the 'Red Devil' escaped, please).

The Chairman stood at the front in silence for a moment, observing the masses, before speaking.

"As you all now know this years Hunter's Examination was infiltrated by a powerful Vampire. His aim was to take over the school by freeing the bloodsuckers in the labyrinth, and leading them on a rampage." The Chairman spoke. Terasaka gritted his teeth- What lies! "Fortunately, because of the strength and valour of you students, and the professional hunters, the Vampire attack was warded off without any deaths. And I can now confirm that I personally killed the instigator of the attacks; The Red Devil himself."

The room erupted into applause. Everyone was cheering. All except E class. All of them sat there in shock, frozen in place.

"No, that can't be." Isogai murmured. As powerful as the Chairman was, he was only human, how could he have killed Karma? The E class was devastated. Karma wasn't just a powerful ally to them, he was also a friend. Kurahashi was blinking back tears, even Terasaka had balled his fists and looked close to breaking down.

"The battle with the Red Devil was not without its consequences, however; The Red Devil managed to brainwash one of our own students and subsequently killed him as soon as he got the chance." The Chairman said, sounding solemn. But nobody in E class missed the glint of malicious glee in eyes eye. "The Red Devil murdered Nagisa Shiota before anybody had a chance to intervene."

E class had been devastated at the news of Karma's death, but as soon as Nagisa's name was spoke they became inconsolable; Most of them had known Nagisa since their days at primary school, he was a childhood friend of most of the class.

"No!" Rio screamed out loud, it was a desperate sound strangled by tears. She stood up out of her chair, no longer caring if other students were looking at her. "You're lying! Karma wouldn't- "

Luckily, Kanzaki pulled Rio back down into a hug, silencing her before she could say anything too damning. Almost all of E class were in tears now.

But the rest of the school was a different story; A few looked shocked, even horrified, while others held an expression that was unmistakably one of smugness.

"Nagisa Shiota's death is, of course, unfortunate; But it will stand to remind us to never trust Vampires. The Red Devil was cunning, he managed to convince Nagisa that they were allies. But what happened in the end? Nagisa Shiota's body was so badly mangled there was nothing left for me to retrieve." The Chairman said, still with that look of faux-sympathy on his face. Like he wasn't the one behind the two deaths. "We tried everything to help Nagisa Shiota. Even one of our elites, Asano was injured during the process, but in the end, some people cannot be saved. For many of you, today will be the first time truly confronting the evils of Vampires. Remember this lesson well."

With that, the Chairman curtly walked off the podium, disappearing behind the curtains of the stage like a pantomime villain. As soon as he left, the power he held over the students that made them remain silent, was broken.

The room erupted into murmurs, whispers that grew to loud questions and shouting.

"Asano was injured? I hope he's okay." A C-class girl squealed.

"I can't believe he got himself hurt for the sake of that dirty traitor." Another girl replied.

"Asano's fine it was just a scratch Sakakibara's with him. There's no way some Vampire could hurt our leader." Araki said dismissively.

"Man, I knew E class kids were dumb, but seriously? Trusting a Vampire? Even a toddler knows not to do that." One of the A-class elites, Seo scoffed. Terasaka stood up out of his chair ready to punch someone. Isogai took his arm gently, blinking back tears of his own.

"C'mon. It's not worth it." Isogai said, with a defeated sigh. "Let's just get out of here. Find Korosensei. Re-evaluate."

"What's the point?" Maehara said, his voice sounded hollow as he followed Isogai and the others out. "We thought that having Korosensei on our side would save us, but now, two of us are dead."

The E class began to file out. Only Rio didn't move from her seat. She kept her head down, blond hair spilling over her shoulders, shrouding her eyes from view. Kanzaki gently tugged her shoulder.

"Let's not stay here with these people." She said. Rio looked up at her, determination suddenly blazing in her eyes were tears had been seconds earlier.

"The Chairman said he was unable to retrieve any part of Nagisa's body. Is it just me or does that seem like a lie? I mean, there should be something left." Rio said, looking almost demented as she spoke.

"Rio- please- I don't want to think about Nagisa like that." Kanzaki said, covering her mouth.

"There should be a body. Unless Nagisa's not really dead." Rio said, standing up suddenly. She spoke in a hissing whisper, so the other classes couldn't hear. "Karma said that the school has been conducting experiments on students. What if Nagisa is being kept by the Chairman for that purpose? It's the perfect way to avoid suspicion. That's why there's no body. I'm sure of it. All we have to do is save Nagisa before it's too late."

Kanzaki stared at Rio, her eyes widening in understanding. "But.. even if that where true. How on earth would we know where to find Nagisa before it was too late?" The black haired girl asked apprehensively.

"Easy." Rio said with a dark smirk. "We just speak to the only other person who was there when Nagisa was 'killed'."

"Karma? "Karma?"

That was Nagisa's voice. It sounded desperate. Scared. Karma blinked and slowly opened his eyes. Pain. He was suddenly aware of how much pain he was in; His arms, mainly ached, but his entire body felt weak, as if his life force had been sucked out of him.

Suddenly, the events that had happened previously came back to him in a rush; The Hunter examination, the feral vampires attacking, Asano drinking Nagisa's blood, the Chairman drinking Karma's blood.

Oh God. He'd lost so easily.

Slowly, he opened his eyes and took in the situation; He was in a dark prison cell, one arm was cuffed to the wall. Right in front of him was Nagisa, the boy looked paler than usual, tear-tracks were down his face.

"Nagisa!" The Vampire exclaimed, just so relived to see the other alive. He pulled Nagisa into a one-armed hug, and the other let out a startled squeak. He quickly kissed the top of Nagisa's head. Yes, he was chained in a dirty cage, but Nagisa being here made it so much better. "You're so cold!"

Nagisa hugged Karma back with both arms. He was also relieved; He had woken up in this tiny cage chained to Karma, with nobody else around. Karma looked so badly hurt; Incredibly pale, his arms bruised and broken.

For what seemed like hours, the Vampire wouldn't wake up. Nagisa could only desperately call his name, hug him- he even tried kissing him.

Nagisa wasn't really sure what was going on, but clearly, the Chairman had captured both he and Karma, and was keeping them as prisoners in the depths of the academy basement. It was terrifying.

Nagisa felt incredibly weak and tired- it must be from Asano drinking his blood. Did that mean Asano was a Vampire? He had no idea.

"They didn't hurt you, did they?" Karma asked, glaring at Nagisa, looking for any injuries.

"You're the one we should be worried about!" Nagisa exclaimed, still with his arms around Karma. "Your arms look really sore."

"They'll heal in no time." Karma said dismissively. Nagisa chanced a look at his surroundings; They were in a tiny cage, that was situated in a large cavern, lined with black flagstones. The only weak source of light was the flame torch a few meters outside the cage. Everything was shrouded in shadows. Nagisa could hardly see, but he was sure the darkness was no problem for Karma.

"Do you think there's a way out of here?" Nagisa asked. His movement was restricted by the cuffs on his hands, both of them linked to the chains on Karma's, which chained to the wall.

"This metal is super strong." Karma said, frustrated, he tried to pull his arms free to no avail. Plus, it didn't help that having his blood drained earlier had made him weaker.

Nagisa shifted, and Karma quickly looked the other way.

"What's wrong?" Nagisa asked tentatively, picking up that something wasn't right with the other.

"Your blood. It's really hard to resist at the moment." Karma admitted with a strained voice, looking ashamed with himself. "That bastard of a Chairman he... drank my blood. I think he's planning on using me to retain his sanity as a turned Vampire. I'm injured so the bloodlust is getting.. stronger."

"It's fine! Just drink my blood!" Nagisa said- he didn't want Karms to suffer. The thought of the Chairman hurting Karma made Nagisa feel strangely pissed off and protective. He wanted to strangle that bastard.

"I can't." Karma said with a scowl, his mercury eyes boring into Nagisa's blue ones. "You've lost so much blood already to that Asano brat. If I take any more I might actually kill you."

"I trust you." Nagisa said, leaning forwards. He wanted to help his friend!. Karma turned the other way deliberately.

"I can't risk it." Karma insisted. "Not while we've both suffered from blood-loss. If I start, I might not be able to control myself. If I hurt you, I'd never forgive myself."

Nagisa but his lip and looked down. There was no convincing Karma, no matter how much he wanted to help him.

"So about the Asano's. They're both Vampires, right?" Nagisa asked. He gave a hollow laugh. "The people running my Vampire-killing village are Vampires themselves. Everything I know really is a lie."

Karma joined in with an equally humourless laugh. "When most people turn into Vampires they run away from their families and communities. That bastard stayed and became the leader. What a joke." Karma said- even he hadn't predicted this turn of events. "At least that solves the mystery of why he was turning people into Vampires. They were just a source to try keep his sanity."

"That evil bastard." Nagisa muttered, genuinely angry when he thought of all the innocent people that had died for his sake.

"Although, he said he's been a Vampire for over sixteen years. I've never heard a case of a turned-Vampire lasting even half that length of time. Even drinking the blood of other Turned Vampires. He must have an insane amount of will-power." Karma said. This was a more powerful enemy than he realised. The Chairman was even more powerful than the average Vampire. He truly was a beast.

"What about Asano? Was he turned recently?" Nagisa asked. He remembered how the other hunter had tried to push him away when he had tried to stop the bleeding. "I don't think he wanted to drink my blood."

Karma's scowl deepened at the mention of Asano drinking his Nagisa's blood. "That brat is a strange case. Something about him doesn't seem completely Vampire."

Nagisa frowned, about to ask what that means when suddenly Karma let out a hiss of pain as he tried to move one of his arms.

"Karma!" Nagisa exclaimed, his eyes widening. The Vampire let out a disgruntled grunt of pain.

"It's fine. Re-growing bones is just a little more painful than I imagined." Karma said, trying to act casual, but his face was still in a grimace. Nagisa kneeled up to inspect Karma's arms; The Chairman had really done a number on him- The hunter hated seeing Karma so hurt, he wished he could help. Without even thinking about it, Nagisa leaned forward and kissed a particularly large bruise on Karma's arm.

"How sweet, are you kissing my injuries better?" Karma said with a teasing tone. Nagisa realised what he had done and turned bright red.

"I- I was just looking at them!" Nagisa insisted, his blush deepening. Damnit he felt like a childish fool!

"With your mouth?" Karma chuckled, a taunting look in his eye. "No need to be embarrassed I think it's cute!"

"Shut up." Nagisa said abashedly. In the back of his mind he thought about how crazy it was that even in this dire situation he and Karma still had light-hearted conversation.

Suddenly, they were interrupted by the sound of footsteps echoing around the labyrinth. Both boys fell deathly quiet.

Someone was coming.

"I'm glad that you're having fun down here." A now-familiar voice said. Nagisa's heart started to race as the Chairman's figure came into view, his face eerily illuminated by the candle-light. As soon as he heard that voice, all light hearted feelings disappeared and were replaced once again by fear.

The Chairman looked down at them with a smug grin and sinister eyes, he seemed to tower above them. Something else Nagisa noticed about him before was that he looked remarkably young for someone with a teenage son, he hardly looked over 25. He really must be a Vampire.

"You bastard! Let Nagisa go! You have no reason to keep him here!" Karma shouted suddenly enraged. His anger was only intensified by the fact he couldn't break free and rip this man's throat out like he wanted to. Usually he was always cool and laid back, but now the Vampire had snapped. The Chairman simply chuckled, looking at Karma with a mixture of amusement and disdain, as if he were simply an unruly child.

"There's no need to be so rude. I'm simply providing you with a little snack in case you get hungry." The Chairman said, gesturing to Nagisa. "I'm surprised you haven't already consumed him."

"I would never." Karma said, his voice a low growl and his eyes like flames. The Chairman let out another chuckle.

"So you say now, but even Natural Vampires go feral when they're deprived of blood." The Chairman said almost gleefully. "I wonder how long it'll be before Mr Shiota starts looking less like a friend, and more like vulnerable prey, just waiting to eaten. Hours? Days?"

"You're an insane sadistic psychopath. Do you really think your reign or terror will last? I don't know who's going to destroy you first; your people, or yourself." Karma said to him. The Chairman's eyebrow raised in annoyance.

"Let's see how much of that attitude you retrain when you've killed your friend. You'll be easy to break after that." The Chairman said, sounding so sure of yourself. "I have to thank you for donating your blood to me, Red Devil. My head feels much clearer after that. Thank you."

Now it was Nagisa's turn to get pissed off; Did the Chairman really plan to have Karma be his blood slave indefinitely? For the rest of their lives? So eternity?

He couldn't bare the thought of Karma being used like that!

Without Nagisa realising it, blood-lust exuded off him dangerously.

"Karma's right. You won't last much longer, Chairman Asano." Nagisa hissed. "The minute you step out of the safety academy, our demon teacher will make you pay. Or maybe you won't even make it that far. I can't imagine your son is feeling particularly amiable towards you after you stabbed him and manipulated him. And the rest of E class know what you've done. You've made a lot of enemies, Chairman Asano."

The Chairman glared at the boy; Nagisa Shiota always seemed so weak and mild, but in this moment there was something deadly about him- No matter, the Chairman wouldn't let the prattle of one insignificant hunter bother him.

"Even with all their strength combined, some weak human children and a half-grown hybrid are no match against me. Not that my son would ever work with E class." The Chairman said, walking right up to the bars. "And do you really think when I signed the contract with your teacher I wouldn't put in a rule forbidding him to hurt me? You're more stupid than I thought."

Nagisa gritted his teeth.

"Of course, by all means keep thinking that I'll be killed soon." The Chairman sneered. "It may be some comfort for you when your little Vampire friend drains your blood!"

And with those parting words, the Chairman left, walking across the labyrinth and up the winding spiral staircase.

Karma and Nagisa stared after him, feeling even more empty and hopeless than before.

"We walked straight into his trap." Karma hissed, looking at the floor sounding uncharacteristically defeated. Well Nagisa wouldn't allow it! He grabbed Karma's face in his hands and forcing their eyes to meet.

Mercury stared into sky blue.

"Karma. I trust you not to kill me." Nagisa said, his voice full of unusual confidence and vigor. "Both of us are still alive, and we've got a whole class full of friends to help us. I don't know how, but we will get out of this. As long as we have each other everything will work out!"

Karma blinked, then his face split into a grin. "You've changed. " he said fondly. "You used to be so negative. Now you me starting to sound like Korosensei giving a motivational speech."

Nagisa felt himself blush- had he been to Cheesy. "I do not!" He snapped, embarrassed. Karma just laughed.

"Do too." The Vampire teased. "But your right. We'll find a way to turn this around."

After that, there was nothing the two could do but lean against each other and attempt to plan.

This was an awful situation. Nagisa thought. But at least he was with Karma.


	14. Captives

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nagisa and Karma attempt to survive as prisoners while dealing with their injuries.

"Now we know the truth, we'll be able to expose the Chairman for what he really is as soon as we get out of here." Karma said vindictively, a hateful look in his mercury eyes. "He'll pay for what he's done to us."

Nagisa nodded in agreement. But he had doubts he didn't dare to voice; _How could they combat a man so powerful? Even if they did escape, how could they reveal the Chairman's true species? Other than E class, who would believe them?_

Nagisa glanced up at Karma, worriedly. They were chained mere inches apart, so it was easy to tell how disheveled the Vampire looked; bruises still marred his arms, clearly healing far slower than usual, there were dark circles under his eyes, and his skin looked sallow. Even if Karma wouldn't admit it, the blood loss was effecting him more and more each passing hour. Of course, Nagisa didn't feel much better since he'd had his blood drained as well. He was attempting to stay positive but that was hard when he felt weak. He was so hungry, and thirsty.

At least when the younger Asano had captured him those weeks ago, he had the decency to offer him some water.

As the two males sat facing each other, Nagisa felt another wave of dizziness wash over him. The hand he was leaning on gave out from beneath him and before he knew what was happening, his vision blurred and he slipped forwards into Karma. The next thing Nagisa knew, he felt strong arms envelop him and he looked up to see Karma holding him. The Vampire looked down at him, obvious concern in his eyes.

"Nagisa, I promise, I'll get us out of here s- "

Karma cut off suddenly, as his eyes widened and his cheeks pupils dilated. He felt a sudden, painful urge to sink his fangs into Nagisa's neck.

He was so  _close_. He could almost taste the human.

Karma violently jerked himself back, away from Nagisa so hard his head collided with the wall and smacked into it painfully. It took all his willpower not to lunge forward and taste blood. Karma covered his mouth with his hands and bit into his own flesh until he tasted copper. His body jerking and convulsing violently as he fought against his own feral instincts.

"Karma!" Nagisa cried, his blue eyes widening in horror. He felt so helpless. "Karma! It's clearly hurting you- Just drink my blood!"

Karma gagged a few times, a horrible retching sound escaping his throats as he composed himself enough to reply. "Nagisa, no.. I'm not strong enough to stop myself."

"Karma, please!" Nagisa started to say, but was interrupted by the sound of footsteps once again echoing around the dungeon.

"It's him." Karma said with a hateful voice, and sure enough, as he spoke, the Chairman once again came into view.

"Mr Shiota is still alive and breathing. What a surprise." He said, sounding amused; as he stepped closer to the bars of the cage. "Torturing yourself to keep this human alive is futile. We both know you can't resist forever. Even the Vampire with the strongest resolve will kill someone he loves for the sake of blood, under the right circumstances."

For a moment there, Nagisa was sure he saw something akin to regret flickering in the Chairman's mauve eyes, but it disappeared as quickly as it came, and his smile remained plastered onto his face.

"I'm not like you." Karma said through gritted teeth. "Don't put a natural Vampire like me in the same category as you insane turned Vampires!"

The Chairman simply chuckled at Karma's anger, as if he were simply a child throwing a tantrum. "Natural Vampires such as yourself are always so confident in their strength. I bet it's killing you inside that you're weaker than a 'turned'. That expression of frustration on your face.. is exactly the same as your uncle's just before I killed him."

"What?" Karma growled, sounding shocked. Nagisa was equally confused- _How did the Chairman know Karma's family?_  The human remembered a while ago when Karma had spoke about his family, about how they were all dead besides his parents, killed when Karma was young.

"Oh? Did you really think that I wouldn't be able to discern that you were part of the Akabane clan?" The Chairman sneered, seemingly delighted with Karma's confusion. "The red hair gave it away. You know, Your uncle was the one who originally changed me. It was almost sixteen years ago. He did it as a cruel joke, I suppose, when I tried to slay him for killing an old student of mine.. "

The Chairman paused for a moment, his smile dropping and his face morphing into a frown as he mentioned the ' _old student_ '.

Karma and Nagisa both sat in silence, intently listening to what their captor was saying. Then, the Chairman's lips curled into a smile.

"I suppose that Sylvite Akabane expected me to quickly succumb to madness, and be killed within days of transforming. He certainly didn't anticipate that I would bide my time, get stronger and then return to his mansion and slaughter his family right before his eyes, then kill him. -He had an expression just like yours now, when he watched me drive my knife though his son's heart."

As the Chairman spoke his eyes became wide and crazed and his speech became pressured, he truly looked like a mad man as he spoke elatedly about muse ring a baby. Karma felt his blood run cold-  _So this bastard was the one responsible for killing so many of his family members all those years ago!?_  Karma could forgive the Chairman killing his uncle, but the man had slaughtered his cousins, who where mere infants at the time! His grandparents! His aunties!

Nagisa could only watch as the Chairman psychologically tortured Karma.

"I thought I'd wiped out the whole Akabane clan of the face of the earth. Apparently not." Gakuho said, he pulled something out of his robes; It took a second for Nagisa to work out what it was; Lapis Lazuli necklaces on chains, at least a dozen of them. The flecks of good imbedded in the dark blue gemstones sparkled as they reflected the flickering candle-light.

Karma recognised them instantly as old family heirlooms he'd lost along with his relatives. His horror finally gave way to anger. "Those belong to my family, you bastard!" He strained against his chains in vain, attempting to get free. "You insane murdering bastard! I'll kill you!"

Nagisa wrapped his arms around Karma's waist. "He's just trying to hurt you. Don't let him." He whispered in his ear. Nagisa felt awful for Karma- It must be so frustrating being at the mercy of the man who killed your family.

"That's right, listen to your little human pet." The Chairman mocked, walking back into the darkness. "While he's still alive- "

Nagisa could do nothing but hold Karma until the sound of footsteps faded.  _They had to get out of here._

* * *

Since there was nothing else to do, and he felt exhausted any way, Gakushuu spent the rest of the evening sleeping intermittently in the hospital bed. All he could dream about was the events of that morning; The Vampire Maze, the Turned Vampires attacking, drinking Nagisa's blood, all of it revolved churned inside his head next time he woke up, he expected Ren to be once again sat by his bedside but his fellow classmate was gone, and instead the Chairman was stood at the foot of his bed, looking down on him.

Gakushuu felt his heart drop when he saw him, but he was too exhausted and too world-weary to be terrified.

"I need to change your bandages." The Chairman said simply, walking over to Gakushuu before the boy had a chance to say anything. He went to grab Gakushuu, but the boy turned away defiantly.

"Don't touch me!" He snapped. His father let out a testy sigh, and gave his son a look of disdain.

"I have a meeting with the Government soon. I don't have time for your foolishness." The Chairman said.

"You should of thought about that before you stabbed me." Gakushuu replied from the bed. He felt like nothing more than a petulant child; He hated this man so much, but all he had the power to do was mildly inconvenience him.

He was half expecting it when the Chairman grabbed him by the collar of his pyjamas and pulled him up into sitting position.

"Asano, I am the only one who can treat your injury, unless you want to Nurses to discover your secret. So I suggest you accept my help, or else we'll find out if you have a Vampire's immunity to sepsis or not." The Chairman growled mauve eyes narrowing. Gakushuu glared back at him, but he had little choice but to obey.

He started unbuttoning his shirt. Gakushuu hated this; He hated that he had to be reliant on the man he despised the most, it reminded him of being a child. He had hated his father more than anything after the man had killed his mother, but until Gakushuu was seven he couldn't even tie his shoe-laces without his father's help.

"Why was it so important to you that I killed Nagisa Shiota?" Gakushuu asked sounding bitter. "You stabbed me just to drive me to drink from him! Why?"

"Are you upset that I hurt you?" The Chairman taunted, the ghost of a smirk on his face as he pulled the old bandaging off. "I've told you- I need you to be able to kill humans if you are to be truly strong. You've spent so long acting like you're human that you forget that you aren't one of them."

"It was your plan that caused Nagisa Shiota's death! I didn't- I didn't mean to." Gakushuu said, struggling to keep his voice low. The Chairman laughed out loud at that, and said.

"But you still killed him; It was you who held him down and drained his blood until he was dead, wasn't it? You should of seen the reactions of his classmates, they were devastated. That's nothing compared to how his mother reacted though; Nagisa was her only child, she looked like she may fall apart- "

"Shut up!" Gakushuu shouted, covering his ears as guilt threatened to overwhelm him. He knew the man was doing this to torture him.

The Chairman continued to grin as he rubbed healing salve into Gakushuu's wound. "You need to accept it; Accept that you killed Nagisa Shiota, accept that it is in your nature to kill people. Accept that you need to be able to kill humans to survive."

Gakushuu didn't trust himself to reply, so instead he just glared at the wall mutinously. The Chairman began to put on fresh bandages.

"Of course, if you don't like they way I treat you, you could always kill me. If you were strong enough." His father said, uttering that line that he had said to Gakushuu a thousand times before since he was little.

"I'm starting to think that you actually want me to kill you." Gakushuu replied through gritted teeth. Part of him was surprised the Chairman had kept him alive at all after he'd disobeyed him and attempted to rebel against him. _Why am I kept alive when I'm such a liability to him?_  Gakushuu wondered. The Chairman didn't reply to the accusation, he just finished off the bandaging.

"Your wound will heal in about a week." The Chairman said. As always, Gakushuu's healing was far faster than human's but not as fast as Vampire's. "I suspect you may have a scar. But even I don't know for certain. I suggest you rest. It may be your last chance."

With that he left, as suddenly as he arrived. Gakushuu lay back on the bed, touching the new bandaging tentatively as he glared at the ceiling.

 _I will kill that monster_. Once again he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

The situation had been bad before, but now it was beyond dire; For whatever reason, the Chairman had revealed he was the one who had killed Karma's extended family, and since then, the Vampire had been distraught. Nagisa tried to console him, but Karma couldn't be distracted. It didn't help that with every passing minute, Karma's blood-lust was getting stronger, and his anger only fuelled it further.

Karma was currently muttering under his breath, glaring into the darkness. Although they were mere inches apart, Nagisa didn't dare hold him, as much as he wanted to, for fear of setting of Karma's now-painful urges to drink blood.

All the two of them could do was sit in darkness and prey for salvation.

_Someone had to save them, right?_

* * *

"It's okay if you don't want to do this." Rio said, her voice a low whisper as she looked back at her fellow classmates; Kayano, Isogai, Maehara, Kanzaki and Terasaka stared back at her.

"We've made it this far, haven't we?" Maehara replied in an equally low voice.

"While there is the smallest chance Nagisa is alive, we aren't turning back now- " Kayano added.

Most of the class had left the academy to find Korosensei and tell him what had happened and see if he could help; Only six had stayed behind to try and find Nagisa. It was better this way, Rio decided, infiltration was more effective done by small groups, and she didn't blame the rest of the class for being wary; If things went wrong they could easily be executed for treason.

Other than the Chairman, there was only one other person who could have witnessed what had really happened to Nagisa, and he was a few meters away, behind the doors of the hospital wing.

Sneaking into this part of the school hadn't been easy. This five of them had to hide and wait patiently for a few hours until the rest of the school was sent home. Then, they had to slip past the guards still roaming the academy, to get to the other side of the building. Before Korosensei's teaching, they never would of managed to pull it off, but E class weren't the same people they were a few weeks ago. Yes, it took far longer than Rio and the others would of liked, but they were finally right outside the hospital wing. Behind the large wooden door was Asano. The only one who could give them some answers.

Of course, if he'd give them willingly was another matter..

"Remember to be careful- this guy is an elite." Isogai whispered. Rio raised her eyebrow. "Apparently he gave Karma and Nagisa a lot of trouble."

"He's only human, isn't he?"

"The coast is clear- " Kanzaki whispered, looking down the corridor quickly, seeing no guards. Silently, the five of them swiftly hurried across and opened the door, stepping inside.

Rio couldn't help but cringe when the door creaked; It wasn't even that loud, but the silence made it seem deafening. Terasaka was the last one in, he closed the door softly behind him. The hospital wing was eerily quiet. The walls and the bed curtains were all the same pale listless white that seemed to blend together.

"Who's there?" A voice called out. There was the sound of rustling and the scraping of a chair against floor.

Ren didn't even see it coming. Once the Chairman had left, he had volunteered to come back and look over his friend- He was supposed to be the only one there. He stepped outside the curtains when he heard a creak. He blinked; There was nobody there, just the hospital beds. He turned again, and suddenly, he felt something hard collide with his head; everything went black.

"Sorry- " Isogai whispered, he lowered the unconscious Ren to the floor. "But we really can't have you in our way."

"Don't be too sorry. That guy was a total creep towards Kanzaki." Rio said dismissively, looking down at Ren's unconscious form.

"Stay focused- " Terasaka told them. Truth be told, Rio was surprised he'd come with them at all. It wasn't in Terasaka's nature to risk himself to help others, but Rio suspected it was fuelled by guilt from the grenade incident.

That's right, the real threat was still in the bay, tucked behind the curtain. The material was thin enough that the silhouette of a person lying on the bed was faintly visible.  _Asano._  The one who could give them answers.

All six of them approached the curtains slowly. It would seem strange to think one injured boy would need so much caution, but Korosensei had taught them it was always better to err on the side of careful. Terasaka was the first one to grab the curtain.

"Remember- let's try to do this as peacefully as possible." Isogai whispered, before the larger boy dragged the curtains back.

Asano was lying there, perfectly still on his back. It looked almost too easy. Isogai couldn't help but feel guilty about confronting someone is such an underhand way but Nagisa's life potentially hung in the balance here.

_Desperate times call for desperate measures._

The six of them crept towards the bed, weapons in hand (hoping there would be no call to use them.).They stood around the bed, all of them holding their breath.

"We need to wake him up to interrogate him." Kayano murmured. Nobody made a move for a beat, then Isogai caved. With tentative hands, the dark haired boy reached down towards the person on the bed.

It was like a switch had been flicked; The moment Isogai got within a centimetre of Asano, his Violet eyes snapped open. Faster than anyone could register, Isogai was grabbed by strong hands and pulled down. The next thing Isogai knew, he wast lying face-down on the hospital bed, someone's knee pressing harshly into his back. Asano had snatched his knife from his hand, and the weapon was now being pointed at Isogai's own neck.

The E class kids could only look on in shock.  _How did they loose the upper hand so fast?_

"What the hell do you idiots think you're doing?" Asano snarled as he kept his hostage- Isogai - in place. Violet eyes flicked over to Ren lying on the floor. "Attacking another student when they're on duty is a punishable offence!"

Rio quickly assessed the situation  _(Dammit, we should of used long-range weapons and kept our distance._ ) She felt panic starting to rise, but she squashed it down. Appearing confident was essential for negotiations.

"Let Isogai go, Asano; You're surrounded." Rio said, forcing her face into a cocky grin. "You can't take on all of us. We're a lot stronger than our reputation would have you believe- As you saw today at the examination."

Following her queues, the other four raised their weapons threateningly. Asano merely scoffed.

"I doubt you'll be so effective against an enemy who's brain hasn't been consumed by bloodlust." Asano replied, glaring at his ambushers. Rio couldn't help but be a little impressed with how intimidating he could act while still wearing those fluffy white hospital pyjamas. He dug his knee harder into Isogai for emphasis. The dark haired boy let out a cry of pain.

"Get off him!" Maehara shouted, the usually laid back boy loosing his cool, anger flashing in his hazel eyes. Asano ignored him.

"I'll ask again, what do you E class idiots think you're doing attacking elites?" Asano asked, clearly not feeling threatened by them. "Is this some twisted form of retribution?"

Rio internally debated over whether they should tell him, or if knowing what they were after would give him more of an upper-hand. Before she came to a conclusion, however, Isogai spoke up.

"I'm sorry, Asano, we shouldn't of tried to ambush you." Isogai said into the pillow, his voice strained because of the force pushing down on him. "But you were the only one who could give us answers. Real answers about what happened to Nagisa."

Rio was certain that for just a moment, there was a look of deep sadness in Asano's eyes. But a second later, it was back to a hard unreadable look of indifference.

"The Red Devil killed him and drank his blood. I don't know why you're so eager to hear the gory details." Asano said in a monotone voice. Rio was certain he was hiding something.

"We all know that's a load of bullshit!" Terasaka hissed, but Isogai talked over him.

"So your saying you saw it happen?" Isogai asked, attempting to turn his head enough so his golden eyes could meet Asano's.

The elite paused- He wasn't prepared for this. He and his father hadn't discussed the cover story enough in detail, he only knew the basics of what was supposed to have happened. He didn't know all the intricacies of the lies the Chairman had spun.  _How could he play along without contradicting his Father's version of events?_

"Stop acting like lunatics. Drop your weapons right now and I will just write this off as grief-fuelled madness." Asano said sternly. "Hearing the story won't make you feel any better. Nagisa is still dead."

"Stop averting the question!" Rio warned.

"Did you see Karma kill Nagisa?" Isogai repeated. Asano gritted his teeth; They were relentless and wouldn't be deflected.

"Yes, I saw it." Asano replied, frustrated. He didn't want there to be any doubt over the cause of Nagisa's death. Maybe lying about being a witness would abate them.  _They didn't suspect him, did they?_  "Are you satisfied?"

"One more question." Isogai said, sounding surprisingly calm for someone with a knife to their throat. "How did Karma manage to damage Nagisa's body so badly there was no remains."

"What?" Asano replied, and regretted it as soon as he said it. _How could he be so stupid?_  The mixture of the injury, being shaken from earlier events and just waking up must of caught him off guard. _But wait- what did they mean no body? Why wouldn't Nagisa's body be salvageable? What exactly had his father told the school?_

"The Chairman told us that Nagisa was so badly damaged there was no body left." Isogai explained, steadily. "Of course, if you were actually there, you would know that, right?"

"You didn't see Nagisa actually be killed, did you? You're lying!" Kayano accused.

Asano glared at the dark haired boy beneath him.  _Sneaky little bastard_. But still, why would Nagisa's body not be around... unless...

"You've came to the same conclusion we did, haven't you?" Isogai said, his voice raising. "Nagisa is still alive. The Chairman is using him for something."

Asano paused; Nagisa could still be alive. That thought filled him with so much hope... that would mean that he wasn't a murderer, he wasn't the same as his father and all the other bloodsuckers.  _But could he really trust what these E class kids were saying?_

Unconsciously, his grip on Isogai loosened. Sensing the Elite's indecision Isogai continued to speak.

"I know more than anyone the lengths people will go to stay loyal to family.!I know he's your father, Asano, so you probably don't want to betray him but we both know he's doing evil. Someone's life is at stake here." Isogai said. "And isn't that our number one priority as hunter's? Protecting human life."

Asano knew at the moment, his father would be busy with Government meetings concerning the Vampire attack. If they were going to strike, now could be the only time. But if he helped them, that would be like admitting for definite that his Father was doing something wrong. Well. It's not like Asano was loyal to that man by choice, or because he was  _'family_ '. Asano followed the Chairman's directions because that man was powerful enough to force him to.

"The idea that Nagisa Shiota could still be alive is verging on delusional." Asano spoke slowly. But at that moment, he rolled off Isogai, freeing him from the hold. "But I suppose if it would give you closure, I can show you the academy dungeons. If he's being held somewhere, it would be there."

The E class members eyes lit up. Isogai quickly scrambled off the bed, over to Maehara who gave him a concerned look.

"I'm fine." Isogai said. Rio glanced at Isogai, impressed; Only someone as genuinely good as him could win over even Gakushuu Asano with words alone. Rio was sure they'd have to use force and threats to make Gakushuu give them answers, but Isogai managed to use honestly and understanding instead, and appealing to Asano's better nature (kind of shocking he actually had one- Rio just prayed this wasn't a trap.)

_Maybe Asano was actually a kinder person than he seemed._

"Don't think I'm doing this for free, by the way." Asano said.  _Or maybe not._ As he spoke he walked over to Ren's unconscious form and picked him up, carrying him over to the bed. The E class members looked at him, surprised.

"I uh- don't have a lot of money or anything- " Isogai started to say, nervously, but Asano cut him off.

"I don't need your money. What I want is information." Asano said, as he unlaced Ren's boots ( _Well he wasn't going gallivanting off to the dungeons barefoot._ ) "Once I've shown you the dungeons, your going to tell me, in detail, about why the Government has suddenly become involved in E class. And don't think about short-changing me. You do not want me as an enemy."

The five of them exchanged looks. That was something they'd been sworn to secrecy on.. but if it was for Nagisa...

"Okay, we'll tell you." Isogai decided. Sounding both honest and defeated at the same time. Asano smirked.

"Good- " he said, as he put Ren's shoes on. He winced suddenly when he leaned too far forwards-  _Perhaps pinning people and carrying people after being stabbed through the stomach earlier in the day wasn't a good idea._

"Are you okay- you're injured, aren't you? Do you need help walking?" Isogai said with genuine concern. Asano glared at him.

"Don't patronise me. Are you forgetting that I defeated you easily mere seconds ago?" Asano said, as he stood up off the bed. "Let's go. The sooner we get this over with, the better."

Rio could hardly believe how smoothly this had gone- her heart filled with hope.. maybe, just maybe, Nagisa could be alive. But fear also crept into her mind, because after all, Nagisa could really be dead, and that was about to be verified. She was sure her classmates felt the same way.. and she had a feeling Asano might do too.

* * *

Karma was always easy laughter and cocky smirks, full of wisecracks and constantly brimming with passion.

At least, that was how Nagisa was used to him being; The Karma now was nothing like his usual self- He lay against the stone cell wall, staring listlessly into space, no longer having the energy to be optimistic. His usually vibrant mercury eyes appeared duller somehow, and his usual grin was nowhere to be seen. It seemed as if Karma had lost the energy even for anger. His rage had slowly extinguished like a fire without fuel. Now all he could do was lie there, devoting all his remaining energy into resisting the urge to drink Nagisa's blood, even though the Vampire's body was wracked with pain.

Nagisa had no idea how long they'd been down there for...  _hours? Days?_  His body felt limp and uncoordinated. Staying conscious was difficult. His throats was so incredibly dry it felt as if his mouth was full of dust, and his throats scratched painfully, and his jaw ached.

But he knew that Karma was even worse off than he was. Nagisa  _had_  to do something. Even if Karma hated him for it, he had to save him.

"Karma.. do you remember the reason you started living in this village?" Nagisa said, his voice sounding croaky. Karma looked up at him, as if being broken from a daze. Nagisa continued.

"It was because you found those bodies of Turned-Vampires. Experiments from the academy itself. I bet any normal Vampire wouldn't interfere with human matters, but you disregarded yourself to solve the mystery and save people." Nagisa said, gaining fervour as he spoke, his blue eyes staring into now-attentive mercury ones. "At times I've thought you were careless and selfish.." Nagisa admitted. "But truth be told, your more caring and selfless than anyone I know. You've done all you can to try and save the innocent lives of the people in this village- and all along you've been the only one with enough power to do it."

Nagisa felt tears pricking his eyes now. "Saving people from the academy- that was your original goal. That's what needs to be you priority- not me."

"Nagisa- what are you saying." Karma rasped, eyes blinking, confused. They were both so close yet he couldn't tell what Nagisa was trying to tell him.

"You need to stop putting my life above your goal, Karma. This village needs you. You're the only one strong enough to save them." Nagisa said, his tears now flowing freely- He didn't want to do this. He wanted to live.. but he had to. "I'm sorry, Karma."

"Nagisa, what- " Karma started to say, but was cut off when Nagisa kissed him. It was a deep kiss, using tongue, totally on another level from the way the two of them had kissed before.  _And Nagisa was taking initiative?_

But before Karma had a chance to enjoy the kiss, he felt Nagisa bite his own tongue, and suddenly, the Vampire tasted Nagisa's blood gushing into his mouth.

_No! Nagisa!_

Karma could feel the blue haired boy grabbing onto his hair and pulling him close with all his might.. So that was Nagisa's plan.. save Karma by forcing him to drink his blood. Karma started sucking the blood on instinct. His body refused to obey his command and pull away. Karma felt tears forming in his eyes.

_Fuck_

Karma cursed Nagisa, and prayed for him at the same time, before his thoughts turned to black and the bloodlust took over completely.

_Oh God he couldn't stop himself- he was sucking the blood now.. how much had he drank..._

_Was Nagisa starting to feel cold in his arms?_

_Somebody stop me..._

_Please..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew, finally at the end! I feel like the latest chapters, especially the last two, have been really negative. Karma and Nagisa have been captives for like, 2 chapters now, and the Chairman's just been getting away with everything.
> 
> So it was revealed that the Chairman was the one who killed Karma's extended family (think he mentioned it a few chapters ago). Sorry if the reveal seemed really heavy- handed, but I couldn't think of another time to put it in there.
> 
> Asano is once again trying to defy his father (hopefully it goes better than last time, and nobody gets their blood drained or stabbed, but no promises. IDk if it seems OOC for him to team up with E class, but he really doesn't want to be a murderer.
> 
> Karma and Nagisa are probably going through the hardest time this chapter, since they're basically being tortured, and both want to save the other but can't. I got the idea for Nagisa kissing Karma to force him to drink blood from phantombullet1999, so thanks for that. I thought it'd be a good way to up the tension, and an excuse for more kissing.


	15. Chapter 15

"You do know what the consequences are for trespassing? It's considered treason." Asano said to the others as he typed in the code for a large metal door. Rio resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

"I know. You've reminded us at every single door we've had to break through to get down into the dungeon. And there are way too many doors!" Rio said, sounding exasperated.

"And yet you still don't seem to understand the magnitude of what your doing!" Asano snapped back as the door opened. Isogai watched in awe; He'd never seen something as technologically advanced as coded and automatic doors. Non of them had.

The Dungeons were deep. Far deeper and longer than Rio could have imagined, and Asano had spent the entire time warning them repeatedly about how dangerous this expedition was and how much trouble they'd be in. The E class members were now fairly certain they knew all the laws and regulations against trespassing in the academy off by heart. But Rio realised there was no way they could of gotten this far into the dungeon without Asano's help.. They walked through the door, quickly. With every level they travelled it got darker and darker as the amount of flame torches lining the walls lessened.

"Careful- the ground is uneven around here and there's rocks and debris everywhere. Maehara! You're about to walk into a small boulder!" Asano warned. Maehara stopped suddenly in his tracks, his eyes adjusting to the darkness. He could just about make out the vague outline of the rock.

"Whoa- how can you even see that? It's so dark!" Maehara said, as he scooted around the obstruction.

"I actually pay attention." Asano bit back. It was too dark to see, but Rio just knew he had that superior expression on his face that screamed 'everyone is an idiot besides me.' Jerk.

"Not all of us have night-vision." Maehara replied sarcastically.

Asano stopped suddenly in his tracks, frozen in place, even in the darkness, Rio could see his eyes widening and his expression hardening.

"Chill dude, its just a joke..?" Maehara said, sounding a little taken aback by this reaction. "I know you don't really ha- "

Maeahara was cut off.

"Nagisa is close by." Asano declared, before suddenly running off ahead. He could smell blood, Nagisa's blood, lingering in the air. And being this close, he felt a very faint pull towards Nagisa. His last 'prey'. So being able to track 'prey'. That was another Vampire ability that Asano apparently had. It was a strange thing to discover.

As Asano bolted off, the others scrabbled to follow, Rio, Kanzaki, Kayano, Isogai, Maehara and Terasaka trailed after him, trying to avoid rocks as they ran. There was one final door between himself and Nagisa, Asano didn't even bother to try cracking the code, he just swung his leg back and kicked it was the sound of the frame groaning against the metal hinges, then the door swung open.

'He's trying to act indifferent, but it seems like he's as desperate as us to save Nagisa' Isogai thought silently as he and the others caught up.

Behind the door was a small dark room, with a prison cell in the corner. It took Rio's eyes a second to adjust to the light, and then she noticed two people chained up in the cell, leaning over each other. Their brightly coloured hair was the second thing she noticed.

"It's Karma and Nagisa!" She cheered as she walked closer. "And they're kissing!"

She felt a giddy rush of relief that left her feeling almost dizzy.

"That Vampire is drinking Nagisa's blood." Asano said in a grave voice, as he rushed past the others and over to the prison cell. Before Rio could even register what was happening, Asano had reached through the cell bars, grabbed Karma by the back of the neck, and harshly pulled him away from the human. As soon as he was out of Karma's hold, Nagisa dropped down sideways like a marionette with its strings cut. His body was too limp, and his face was too white. White as bone.

Suddenly, Rio and the others felt the gleeful excitement they'd been experiencing just seconds earlier evaporate. Karma wasn't in any better a state; His arms where so badly bruised they clearly broken. When Asano had grabbed him he gave no resistance. There were tear-tracks down his face, he looked hardly conscious.

"Typical bloodsucker. Of course you'd end a humans life to prolong your own. You aren't any different from the rest of them." Asano said harshly.

Rio found herself just watching, so many thoughts whirring around in her head; She thought they could trust Karma.. but he drank Nagisa's blood? Why would the Chairman keep Karma alive anyway? Was Nagisa okay? He had to be okay! As if he'd read her mind, Asano turned around to address the E class members.

"This is what happens when you try to get close to Vampires." He said solemnly. "Nagisa Shiota is still alive. For now. Terasaka- give me your sword."

"Wha- Why should I?" The larger boy started to question.

"Do it!" Asano snapped. Reluctantly, Terasaka handed him the blade.

"Fine. Here."

"Thank you." Asano replied coldly. He turned and started filing away at the cage bars. Thoughts were surfacing at the back of his mind.. Freeing Nagisa Shiota, confirming to E class that the Chairman really did capture people illegally.. His father would not let him off lightly for this when he found out. And he would find out.

The Chairman was a creative man, Asano didn't even want to think of the torture methods he could come up with. Or maybe he would finally decide Asano was too much of a liability and dispose of him once and for all. Asano pushed those thoughts away as he managed to file right through the bars. This should have weakened them enough.

He swung his leg back and kicked. Weakened from the incision through them, the bars bent out of shape, leaving a person-sized hole through them. (Now Asano could add 'destruction of property' to the list of reasons his father would be angry with him). The elite climbed through the broken bars of the cage, Rio and Isogai silently followed him. It was evident from their expressions just how worried they were. They wasted no time in hurrying over to Nagisa, quickly tending to him despite the cramped space.

"He feels so cold.." Isogai said mournfully as he propped Nagisa up. He couldn't see a bite mark, but a thin string of bloody saliva trailed down Nagisa's cheek.

"He has a pulse!" Rio declared, almost deliriously happy. A part of her had actually believed Nagisa was dead just as the Chairman said. Seeing him alive like this made her feel euphoric. She wasn't the only one; despite his usual stoic expression still being in place, Asano felt a wave of relief, like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He wasn't a filthy blood-sucking murderer! His father had lied! He hadn't killed a human! He hadn't killed Nagisa.

"Hold him still." Asano commanded, drawing his sword once again. With his other hand, he lifted the chain attaching Nagisa's hands together, and began filing away at the metal with his blade. Rio and Isogai watched with bated breath as Asano cut through.

"Was the Chairman keeping Karma here for experiments too?" Maehara asked, from outside the jail cell.

Asano decided to ignore that question; Although he knew the answer.. it was so obvious he couldn't believe he hadn't realised it before; Karma was natural born. The Chairman was keeping him for his blood. Once again Asano was reminded that by freeing Nagisa he was allowing the blue haired boy to tell everyone the truth about his and his father's species.

Well.

Too late for regrets now.

Nobody would believe E class scum (at least that was what he was hoping).

There was a metallic click as Nagisa's cuffs finally broke away freeing his wrists. His skin was bruised and raw were the harsh metal had been rubbing against him. Isogai, who was still propping Nagisa up carried him in his arms, smiling as he noticed the smaller boy breathing.

"Well, what are you waiting for." Asano snapped at them. "Quickly get him to the first aid kit."

They didn't need telling twice. With Rio's help, Isogai lifted Nagisa through the bars to were the others were waiting. Kayano and Kanzaki had gotten out some healing salve and some water ready for Nagisa. As soon as Isogai lowered Nagisa to the floor and they started treating him. Still inside the cage, Asano stood and watched.

"What're you waiting for?" Terasaka yelled at him. "Hurry up and sort Karma out so we can leave!"

"The Red Devil is your comrade, is he not?" Asano said, pursing his lips. "I thought you'd rather not have to watch."

It took the E class members a few seconds to register what Asano had meant, but as soon as they did, they were horrified.

"We meant free him! Not slay him!" Terasaka yelled. Asano looked at him with burning amethyst eyes as if he were a piece of dirt.

"Even after this Vampire almost killed your friend you want me to spare him? Not only that, you want me to let him loose so he can attack even more people?" Asano questioned, as he stood over the unconscious Karma.

"Wait!" Isogai piped up. "I- I know this looks bad, but Karma would never loose control like this under normal circumstances."

"Yeah! It's only because your Dad beat him up, caged him and starved him that he lost control!" Kayano added. Asano glared at them.

"That's a risk I just can't take." Asano said, Terasaka's sword still in his hand. It wasn't that Asano exactly wanted to kill the Red Devil (although he did hate him) but how could he call himself a hunter, a protector of the academy, if he allowed a Vampire that nearly killed someone to walk free?

Besides. Asano knew that Karma's blood could be used to make his father more powerful. So long as Karma was around, the Chairman became even more un-defeatable. Since Karma was the last person the Chairman had drank from, Gakuho would be able to track him and that would put Nagisa and the rest of E class in danger.

There was a clinking sound, and Asano glared at Terasaka, realising that the brute had taken Kayano's sword and was now pointing it at him. Maehara had drew his sword too, as had Rio and Kanzaki. Only Isogai and Kayano remained kneeling over Nagisa's unconscious form.

"You don't have time for this!" Asano snapped at them. "You need to go and get Nagisa some real medical help before it's too late!"

"Step away from the Vampire!" Terasaka growled.

"Listen, Asano. We're grateful for the help you've given us so far, but if you attempt to kill Karma, we'll have to use force." Kanzaki said, her voice steady and clear.

"Plus it's four against one. It's not like you have a choice." Rio added, a dangerous glint in her eyes.

Asano stared them down, not moving from his spot, and not backing down, Terasaka's sword still clenched tightly in his hands. "If you had any sense at all you'd leave now." He said. "I'm sorry if it's upsetting to you, but I won't allow this Vampire to live."

"Like hell you won't!" Terasaka shouted, charging forwards. The others followed his lead, all of them aiming to get past Asano. They'd been training together for weeks now. They knew how to fight as a team.

Terasaka was the first to strike. Asano blocked him with ease, narrowing his eyes as Rio and Maehara came charging in from the side. Without even blinking, Asano kicked Maehara away, sending him hurtling into Rio, knocking them both over. They skidded across the dungeon floor before smacking hard into the wall

Asano winced as he felt the wound on his stomach tear slightly. Yes it was definitely bleeding right now.

Terasaka struck again, as Kanzaki snuck up from the sidelines. Once Again, Asano blocked Terasaka, forcing him back with his sword. With his free hand he grabbed Kanzaki's sword by the hilt of the blade, dragging it out of her hands, and knocking her over. The battle had lasted less than a minute. But of course, Asano was stronger and could see a lot clearer in the dark.

Isogai stared in shock.. how had Asano managed to beat them all? It didn't make sense.. how could he be that much stronger than them?

"Now stop wasting time and leave." Asano said, his breathing laboured as he walked the short distance back towards Karma. The others watched, most of them still dazed from the fight.

"No!" Rio cried, scrabbling to pull herself up and run back across the dungeon.

Asano stood over Karma's seemingly unconscious form, sword raised above the Vampires neck. The red-haired teen really did look pitiful right now; His skin sallow, arms bruised, a trail of bloody saliva dripping down his chin.

Pathetic.

Asano went to move his sword to stab him as he should of done weeks ago but for some reason he found himself unable to move. Instead of plunging the blade into the Vampire's neck his hands started to shake.

Why!? Why couldn't he do this!? Why could he kill other Vampires but not Karma? Why did it have to make a difference that he had a personality outside of just wanting blood?

In that moment of hesitation, Karma's eyes snapped open. Before Asano had a chance to react, a pair of bruised hands reached up and grabbed him, pulling him to the floor. Asano let out a cry of pain as he made impact with the ground. He could feel the blood seeping out from his bandages. He tried to grapple for advantage over his attacker, but Karma was faster. He grabbed the hunter's arms from behind, pulling them behind his back. The red head was like a cobra attacking its prey.

"K-karma? You're awake?" Isogai cried in surprise. The look in the Vampires eye reminded Isogai of the time the Chairman had sent thugs to attack them; The usual playfulness was gone, replaced with a fiery determination.

Seconds earlier Karma had been unconscious, but now he was awake and alert, Nagisa's blood running through him rejuvenating him. the bones in his arms had already repaired. He felt strong.

Asano was letting out grunts of frustration as he tried in vain to escape Karma's grip. Terasaka's sword was still clamped in his hand, but there was very little he could do with it when he was being held so tightly.

"There's no use struggling. I tell you what. I'll cut you a deal." Karma hissed into the other boy's ear. "If you saw through these chains and set me free, then I won't kill you- sound fair?"

"Get off me... you disgusting.. Vampire.. bloodsucker." Asano growled, his speech more a series of disjointed angry mutterings rather than a full sentence.

The E class students felt they could only watch, almost frozen into place by the scene before them.

"You're right. I am a disgusting blood sucker." Karma said, genuine self-hatred in his voice. "But then again so are you."

Asano didn't reply to that, he just kept on struggling. The members of E class looked at each other, confused; What did the Vampire mean? Why was Asano like him?

"Karma, let me cut through your chains- " Isogai said, standing up and going to pull his sword out.

"It won't work." Karma replied over Asano's shoulder. "You need to have Vampire-strength to cut through these. Or at least, half a Vampire's strength. Isn't that right, Asano?"

"Shut up!" Asano shouted, trying to drown out the sound of Karma's voice. Oh God.. why didn't he kill this bastard while he had the chance? He was going to expose everything. He could see the perplexed look on the human's faces. He could see them trying to work out the meaning behind Karma's words.

"Why are you bothering with trying to hide it? You freed Nagisa, so they'll know the truth soon enough." Karma said to him, sounding almost teasing. He was still furious with Asano for drinking his Nagisa's blood, but the fact the hunter had come to save Nagisa meant Karma no longer wanted to kill him, at least. (Just maybe hurt him a little..). So instead of snapping Asano's neck and cutting himself free, Karma had opted for the 'pacifist' route of forcing Asano to free the Vampire himself.

Part of Karma actually currently agreed with Asano. He did deserve to die for loosing control and almost killing Nagisa; But Karma also knew he couldn't just leave Nagisa by dying. Even if he was a beast, Karma still wanted to be there to protect Nagisa. Just looking at his small unconscious form lying pale and still on the dungeon floor made Karma feel like he'd been punched in the gut. But no. He couldn't focus on that now. He had to focus on getting free.

"I'll kill you- you monster- "Asano hissed. Ignoring his insults, Karma continued his tirade.

"You can call me a blood-thirsty monster, but you've done the exact same thing as I have." Karma said (and Karma hated himself for it- for hurting Nagisa.), then added, laughing. "What should I even call a hybrid like you? A Vuman? A Hampire?- what do you prefer?"

"I'll make you pay for daring to mock me!" Asano growled.

"Karma what the hell are you talking about?" Rio asked, completely confused by the whole situation, which was rare for her; she usually kept up with things and felt frustrated when she couldn't.

"Let's just say, that the leader of this town built around killing Vampires, is a Vampire himself." Karma said with a smirk that held very little humour. "And his son is half Vampire, half human. I guess our teacher was wrong about it being impossible- Isn't that right, Asano?"

The E class kids looked nothing short of shocked. Even Rio looked lost.

"But that's impossible, isn't it?" Isogai murmured.

"Keep your mouth shut!" Asano growled, still trying to ignore the searching looks from the humans. He didn't want to see the disgust and fear in their eyes when they worked out what he was. "I'll die before helping to set you free!"

"Stop being stubborn!" Karma snapped. He glanced at Nagisa. He looked so pale, so still. He needed to hurry this up so they could get him out of here. Apparently psychological torture wasn't enough to get Asano to cut him free and even though he could tell Asano was bleeding, the Vampire didn't have the time to wait for the hunter to pass out from blood-loss. He went for another method.

"I wonder what you're blood tastes like?" Karma said, still with that teasing tone. As soon as he spoke, Asano froze. "I'm curious; do you taste more human or more Vampire?"

That made Asano panic. He renewed his attempts to break free with increased vigour. Karma didn't budge, instead he brought his mouth closer to Asano's neck.

"I suppose there's only one way to know for certain." Karma said. The reaction was instant.

"No! Don't you dare!" Asano shouted; He refused to be used as some cheap sustenance for this disgusting blood sucker. He wasn't that weak!

"Then you know what you have to do." Karma said. Asano didn't reply, but reluctantly he started to file through the metal of the hand cuffs.

Looks like I successfully freaked him out and scared him into doing my bidding. Karma thought sardonically. He looked up at the others; They all looked horrified. They were looking at him with the same eyes as when they first met him. Full of fear, anger and suspicion. Did they understand that he had only used this threats to break free without killing Asano? Did they know he hadn't wanted to hurt Nagisa and he hated himself for loosing control?

"Ow! Careful!" Karma hissed, when Asano 'accidentally' nicked him with the blade. "If you spill any of my blood you'll pay it back with your own."

The hunter didn't reply, and Karma could practically feel the hatred exuding off him. But Karma's threat seemed to work, because within seconds Asano had sawed through his cuffs. They fell off with a metallic 'chink'.

Karma quickly stood up, the bruises on his arms were now almost completely faded Nagisa's blood was taking effect and had left him feeling strong. It really was amazing.. more powerful and more delicious than anything he'd consumed before before... But with a heavier price.

As expected, Asano predictably tried to stab him as soon as Karma let go of him. Karma dodged it easily, and with blurring speed grabbed the sword out of Asano's grip.

"You know you're bleeding pretty badly now, you might want to focus your attention on that rather than fighting me." Karma said, throwing the sword across the dungeon floor almost nonchalantly as he hurried over to Nagisa. "... And are you wearing pyjamas?"

"Don't mess with me." Asano growled in return, but he already knew the battle was lost. He could feel himself weakening once again from the blood-loss. There was no point trying to follow Karma and fight him. Plus he had suddenly become more aware of the scent of human blood- It always seemed more delicious when he was injured. He didn't want to bite anymore humans today.

As soon as Karma reached Nagisa he picked him up off the floor as if the hunter were light as a feather. "We need to get back to Korosensei. And quickly." The Vampire said. The others still looked a little afraid of him, but he could deal with that later. He marched towards the exit.

"Hey- are you okay to be that close to Nagisa? Won't you be tempted to.. you know?" Maehara asked as he followed The red head, looking uneasy. Karma scowled, although he couldn't blame the humans for mistrusting him.

"I'm not so desperate for blood anymore. He's safe with me. I can carry him the easiest." Karma said, replying through gritted teeth. He turned to Asano's now slightly distant form as he left. "Thanks for saving Nagisa, although I'm not quite as greatfull for you trying to kill me."

Although part of Karma still felt as if he had deserved it..

And with that, he hurried off, leaving the rest of the E class members to try and keep up with him. As soon as Karma and the others started up the stone steps, Nagisa's eyes fluttered open revealing hazy blue orbs.

"K-Karma?" He croaked out, his voice sounding meek, and fragile but Alive.

His classmates let out sighs and whoops of relief. Karma too felt a rush of gratitude that Nagisa hadn't been taken from him. But his guilt didn't disappear, and a tiny niggle of resentment towards Nagisa manifested.

"Just try to rest. We're getting out of here." Karma said. Nagisa's eyes had rolled shut again before Karma had even finished speaking, dipping back into unconsciousness.

Only Isogai lingered behind. Cautiously, he approached Asano who was now crouching on the floor, a frustrated look in his eyes. A few spots of blood were evident on his pyjama top.

"I can take you back to the hospital wing. We owe you that much." Isogai said to him. Because even though Asano had fought him and tried to kill his friend, Isogai was unable to refuse him help.

Asano looked up at him in disbelief. "You're strange." He said, then added. "You should escape with your reject friends and their pet blood-sucker before my father realises what's happened. There will be hell to pay."

"And what about you? Won't you have to pay it too?" Isogai said. Asano ignored that question and stood up, he suddenly felt a rush of dizziness and lurched forwards- the next thing he knew, Isogai was there to steady him. The brunette had a hand on his shoulder.

"Just let me help you." Isogai was saying, but his voice sounded distant and far away as Asano was suddenly aware of how close he was, and how good his blood smelled. On instinct, the Hybrid suddenly pushed Isogai into the dungeon wall and barred his fangs, preparing to bite his neck.

"You really are part-Vampire, aren't you!?" Isogai choked out, sounding surprised. "If- If it will help you, you can have some of my blood.. as a thank you for saving Nagisa.."

That was enough to snap Asano back to sanity. He backed away from Isogai so quickly he almost barraged into the cage door. What is wrong with me!? What happened to my self control?

"'Never let a Vampire drink from you'- Isn't that the first thing we learn as hunters!?" Asano snapped, staring at Isogai in disbelief.

"But you aren't a Vampire, are you?" Isogai answered smartly. "'Protect your comrades'- That's the second thing we learn."

"I don't need your protection." Asano said, heading towards the exit. "Like you said I'm not.. I'm not normal." Saying it out loud wasn't easy. "I still have enough energy in me to get to safety. Your friends need you more than I do."

"You have a good heart- considering who your father is."

Asano raised an eyebrow as he reached the steps, Isogai walking close by. Countless numbers of people had sung his praises for his combat prowess and leadership abilities, but he'd never been commended on his moral fibre before. "You really are strange." He murmured to Isogai. "You know you've given me multiple opportunities to take you hostage and use you against E class."

"But you haven't." Isogai retorted, looking at Gakushuu with innocent golden eyes.

"Isogai- hurry! We can't leave you behind." Maehara said, suddenly hurtling back down the steps to retrieve his best friend and classmate. He grabbed Isogai's hand. The dark haired hunter faltered, obviously feeling guilty about leaving someone injured behind. But he didn't want to stall their escape any longer either.

Gakushuu looked at the two of them; he was sure he could take them both hostage right now.. would that be enough to secure his victory against the Red Devil? But in the end he made no move to do so.

"Come on!" Maehara prompted. Isogai conceded.

"I'm sorry." He said as he followed his friend up the stairs. Gakushuu watched them go.

It was strange, everything had gone to shit; The Red Devil he escaped, His wound had been reopened, half of E class now knew his deepest darkest secret, he'd yet again been defeated by Karma, had hadn't even managed to get the E class secret yet- but he still felt better than an hour ago when he thought he'd killed Nagisa.

Sneaking around the academy was a lot easier now the group had Karma. The Vampire was able to hear people coming from hallways away. He always knew if the coast was silently slipped out of the academy without any opposition. However, it was only once they reached the E class mountain that Karma dared loosen his hold on Nagisa.

As soon as they stepped foot on the forest-covered hill, Korosensei appeared before them, looking frantic as they felt.

"The rest of the class told me what happened!" Korosensei chirped. It was amazing how much emotion those tiny bead eyes could carry. "I'm so proud of you- taking initiative to save your fellow classmates. I had no idea the chairman would go so far with the Government RIGHT THERE!"

Just like that, he took Nagisa off Karma "this young man is in need of a blood transfusion- " and with that he zipped back up the mountain, leaving the others staring after him.

"Well.. let's get walking." Isogai said.

Nagisa felt weak. And his arm hurt. It was an aching pain he wasn't familiar with. Slowly, he opened his eyes, his vision still swimming.

He felt someone squeeze his hand.

"Nagisa, can you hear me?" A voice said- Karma. He sounded worried. In the background Nagisa could make out other voices, but he couldn't discern who they belonged to.

"Karma?" Nagisa questioned, attempting to sit up, but feeling a rush of pain to his head. His vision blackened. He felt gentle hands pushing him down.

"Just lie down." Karma commanded sounding somewhat forceful. As the darkness melted away, Nagisa was able to make out his face more clearly.

"What happened?" Nagisa asked, his voice sounding dry and croaky. His question was met with a deafening silence. Even the voices in the backgrounder suddenly stopped talking. It was if he had uttered something taboo. The pregnant pause carried on for a few more beats until someone intervened.

"You lost a lot of blood." A female voice said- Kayano. "And the Chairman took you and Karma captive- but we rescued you, and Korosensei gave you a blood transfusion."

It all came flooding back to Nagisa now; The hunting examination, Gakushuu biting him, the Chairman being a Vampire and taking he and Karma captive... what Nagisa had done to try to make sure Karma survived.

Ah- Karma had lost control when he'd drank Nagisa's blood. That was what the awkwardness was all about.

"Karma- what happened back there.. it wasn't your fault!" Nagisa started to say, but the vampire cut him off.

"I lost control." He said, finality in his voice. Nagisa felt tears in his eyes, and he wasn't exactly sure why.


	16. Lull before the storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A moment of reflection.

Nagisa lay deadly still on the makeshift bed in what was usually the staff room. His skin was still deathly pale and his breathing slow. He had woke up earlier but in his exhausted state had quickly slipped back asleep. Korosensei had rounded up members of the class with the same blood type as Nagisa in order to give him a 'blood transfusion'. A clear tube had been inserted right into one of the blood vessels on Nagisa's inner elbow and the thick red liquid was steadily flowing into his body through it. It was the first time Karma and the other members of E class had seen something like this in action. For a maybe-demon, Korosensei certainly did have a lot of medical knowledge around humans.

Karma was currently sat watching Nagisa from the chair next to him. He didn't want to let the other out of his sight but he was afraid to touch him again. Afraid of breaking him. E class didn't want to show it, but after learning that Karma had drained Nagisa's blood they were slightly more wary around the vampire. It hurt more than Karma wanted to acknowledge.

A few of them had been wary about leaving Karma alone with Nagisa until Korosensei stepped in and assured them it'd be fine. Karma felt as if he were being treated like a rabid dog. He felt as if he deserved it.

Karma had relayed the knowledge to Korosensei that the Chairman was a Vampire and he'd without a doubt been experimenting on students. Korosensei said that as soon as Karasuma returned he'd inform him. The Chairman wouldn't be able to hide his true nature from the Government if they investigated him, so he'd likely be captured. Even if he ran away, he would loose all his power as Chairman and have to live as an outlaw.

Something told Karma that it wouldn't be that easy, however. He had no idea what would happen to Gakushuu. Karma somehow doubted the human government had any sort of protocol on creatures that were supposed to be a biological impossibility.

Nagisa stirred and Karma almost jumped out of his seat in anticipation for the other waking up again. But after a moment his eyes didn't open. Karma sighed, glancing out the window and the pitch black sky littered with stars. This is turning out to be a long night.

* * *

Due to the evacuation, the academy was thankfully mostly devoid of people. This made it much easier for Gakushuu to sneak back to the hospital wing without being detected. He'd rather not have to answer questions about why he was wondering around in blood stained pyjamas with a sword and a too-big hunter's jacket (He'd have to apologise to Ren for the blood stains). Gakushuu may be used to lying, but he didn't enjoy it and besides, he was starting to feel faint so the less diversions the better.

Part of him wanted to run away and escape the school entirely, especially when he thought about what the Chairman would do when he discovered that he'd helped free his prisoners and thereby exposing his secret. However, he'd learnt once before that running away didn't work. Besides, he didn't want to leave his classmates, his comrades, to face the Chairman alone. He wouldn't be surprised if the Chairman started hurting them in Gakushuu's absence and as an elite it was his duty to protect them.

Gakushuu thought he was in the clear. He quietly stepped into the hospital wing and made his way to his bed only to be confronted by four figures standing around the currently empty bed: the other 'elites': Koyama, Seo, Araki and Ren stood together like a pack, obviously awaiting his return. The four of them had grave expressions on their face.

 _What now?_  Gakushuu wondered. He'd honestly thought that he'd have a chance to lie down before facing more of the conflict that would inevitably arrive.

"Where have you been?" Ren asked, looking concerned. "I just woke up and you were gone- and I see you took my shoes and jacket with you. What is going on, Asano?"

Hearing concern was something unfamiliar to Gakushuu- but there was something else in Ren's voice; Suspicion.  _I suppose I have to lie my way out of this one._

"I went for a walk. I didn't think you'd mind that I borrowed some things since you were asleep." Gakushuu said smoothly.

"I wasn't asleep I was knocked out!" Ren argued. Gakushuu appeared casual, he walked through the group and sat on the bed, looking up at them.

"Are you sure you aren't just over tired?" He said, before glancing between his teammates. Suspicion radiated off them. The atmosphere was heavy. "What are you all doing here anyway? Do you need something?"

"We want you to tell us what's going on, Asano, once and for all." Seo demanded. "We're supposed to all be a team. How are we supposed to work as a team when there are things you don't tell us about?"

_Hell, they're more suspicious than I thought._

"I'm not sure to what you're referring to." Asano said, narrowing his eyes and staring Seo down. "Making accusations can be dangerous you know."

"Gakushuu. Please." Ren said, Asano was taken aback at the use of his given name. Nobody called him that. "We've all risked our lives together on missions; That forged a bond between us, whether you acknowledge it or not. We can tell when you're lying- We can tell when you're in danger and trying to hide it. So we're giving you this chance to tell us. So we can help you."

Asano bit his lip; Ren's words surprised him. Asano ha viewed their relationship in purely professional terms, but apparently the others didn't. It was sweet that Ren wanted to help him, but naive; because Asano was sure that if he really did tell them the whole truth, they'd all fear and despise him. Actually, that thought sort of pissed Asano off. Any admiration from his team mates was on a false pretenses. Their whole relationship was an empty one based on lies.

"I don't know what this is about but I don't need your help!" Asano snapped. _It was all just words! These humans could never help him!_  "In case you haven't noticed I'm stronger than all of you. There isn't anything you can do for m- "

Asano was cut off suddenly when Ren grabbed his arm and spun him around so he was suddenly face-down on the bed, his arm forced behind his back at a painful angle. He let out a gasp of pain as his stomach felt the impact. At this point, his whole front was sticky will blood.

"You're right. You are strong. Stronger than a human should be." Ren said, his voice straining from the struggle of keeping Asano down. "But right now you're so hurt that I can fight you on equal terms. You're in trouble with something and you need our help."

"Ren! Get off me- " Asano growled; He managed to get a arm free only to feel someone else's hand grab it. He didn't like that Ren was right. He was weak from blood-loss right now. "What is the meaning of this?"

"After you suddenly disappeared, Ren called us to come and help. We figured you'd gone off somewhere of your own volition since there were no signs of a struggle- " Araki said. "Then we got talking about you, about how we all think you're hiding something; You've never been an open book, Asano, but lately, ever since the Red Devil showed up you've been acting even more secretive; Missing days at the academy, coming to school beat up. And how you performed at the hunting exam- I'm sure that was at the very limit of human capability and you hardly looked tired. And we've all noticed you can't stand to look at blood."

"What the hell are you idiots trying to say?" Asano hissed, becoming increasingly agitated as the true meaning of their words dawned on him.

"Asano." Ren said, his voice heavy with emotion. "You've become a Vampire, haven't you?"

"What?" Asano snapped. Okay, so they kind of missed the mark, but they were dangerously close to the truth. Asano had been so focused on his father and the Red Devil he'd once again underestimated the power of humans. His comrades may not be near his level, but they were elites after all. "Don't be preposterous! I'm the same as I've always been!"

"The Red Devil changed you into a Vampire, just admit it." Koyama said, his voice full of conviction. "And now he's dead you're in trouble. We just want you to own up to it."

"You're all delusional! As if I'd let the Red Devil change me." Asano snapped, feeling increasingly frustrated as his attempts to break free just lead to further dizziness. Yes, they had really missed the mark, but they were still too close. "Unhand me or I'll have you all expelled for treason."

"Asano, while I was sat at your bedside I saw scratches heal faster than they ever would on a human. I saw the lapis lazuli necklace that you wear while you were getting your bandage changed." Ren said. His voice sounded neutral, as if he were attempting to calm his friend. "If you really aren't a Vampire then why don't you take it off and go into the sunlight?"

Asano stopped fighting at those words. He slumped into the bed, defeated. _Shit_. They really did know. Or at least, they knew enough.  _Now what?_  He'd have to leave this town and escape before everyone else found out and had him executed. _What if his four 'comrades' had already told people? Guards could be coming any moment and Asano wasn't in any position to fight them off? What if his father knew? Would he kill anyone who knew to protect his prized 'weapon' or would he just kill Asano himself for being a liability?_

Truth be told, Asano felt hurt. Seo, Araki, Koyama and Ren were four people who had looked up to him. They were the four humans he was closest too, four people he didn't mind working with. He had helped to train them and cultivate them into the elites they were today. They were closets things to friends he'd had since he was a child. Now they would see him as nothing but a disgusting monster- Maybe it was better they had mistaken him for a Turned-Vampire, at least they only think of him as a monster now, rather than realising that he had been one all along.

"Should I take your silence as an admission?" Seo said sounding smug.  _Bastard._

"Just try to execute me. I'll defeat all of you." Asano hissed. It didn't sound very convincing when he was already being pinned down by them. "Who else have you told? Should I expect the cavalry to burst in any minute? It doesn't matter how many people I'm up against- I won't let you kill me!"

"Asano, are you even listening to us?" Ren said, raising his voice in frustration. "We said we want to help you! We aren't going to execute you no matter what you are. You might be insufferably stubborn and egotistical sometimes, but you're still our friend."

Asano froze. Those words were so unexpected that it took a good heavy moment for him to process them  _'We want to help you.' .. 'no matter what you are_ '. Ren's words echoed in his mind, and even in the midst of his panic filled him with a unfamiliar warm feeling.

"That doesn't make sense.." he said, quietly. "You're hunters. You're supposed to kill vampires in any circumstance."

"Only you are so pedantic you'd chastise us for not trying to kill you." Seo said with a sardonic grin. Asano felt the hands that were holding him down leave him and slowly he sat up on the bed.

"I still don't understand. Why wouldn't you just kill me?" Asano said, looking up at the four of them with a confused expression. This was not going the way he expected it to.

"How many times do we have to say it- you're our friend." Ren said. "- And you still seem to be in possession of your sanity so it's not like you're a danger to anyone."

Asano hadn't realised the weight the word  _'friend_ ' could hold with these guys. Unconsciously a small smile grew on his face despite himself. "Honestly, I must not of trained you four well enough if you were planning on letting a Vampire live." He said quietly. The words came tumbling out. Perhaps it was because he had spent so long- _so very long_  - having to hide who or rather what he was from everyone, he suddenly felt as if he had lost the strength to hide it any longer.  _What was the point? They basically knew anyway?_  His life was falling apart at the seams, but for some reason Asano felt a strange sense of relief. "But you haven't quite got it right. I'm not a Vampire."

"Wait- what? We just went through this! We know you aren't human any more." Seo said, rolling his eyes, looking exasperated. Asano looked up at the four of them head on, an intent look in his Violet eyes. This is it.

"You're right. I'm not human.. and I never was."

* * *

Nagisa drifted slowly towards the surface consciousness, gradually becoming more aware of the world around him. The first thing he noticed was that he could feel a sharp pain on his inner elbow; Ah, the blood transfusion. He was lying on a mattress of some kind and he could feel sunlight streaming in and bathing him in warmth. Slowly, Nagisa opened his eyes. They felt tired and heavy. For a moment he was blinded by the sudden influx of light attacking his retina, but gradually his sight adjusted. He was lying in a plain room with wooden walls, he glanced at the thin red tube full of red liquid attached to his inner elbow, out the window he could see the dark evergreen trees from the forest.

"You're finally awake again." A familiar voice said. Nagisa turned to see Karma sat next to him. The Vampire looked relieved to see Nagisa was okay, but there was also something else to his expression; Something akin to bitterness, regret or maybe guilt.

"How? How long have I been out for?" Nagisa croaked. He was suddenly aware of how dry his mouth felt- his tongue was like sandpaper.

"About a day." Was Karma's short reply. That mysterious expression was still on Karma's face and it was making Nagisa increasingly uneasy. "Well. You have woke up a couple of times, but not properly."

"A day!?" Nagisa exclaimed. He searched through his memories to try and recall how he'd ended up unconscious in the first place-  _Wait! The Chairman had captured them! They had been in the dungeons_ \- Nagisa had really thought he was going to die... "How did we escape? Who saved us? What happened?"

"Our classmates came to save us.. and that Asano brat might of gave them a hand. He was only interested in saving you though- tried to kill me. Didn't do a very good job at it, as you can probably tell." Karma said sardonically. Nagisa just blinked in surprise. He couldn't believe Asano of all people had tried to help him!

"I can't believe all the things we've found out about the academy and the chairman. It's a miracle we made it out alive." Nagisa said the rush of relief making him feel almost deliriously happy. He expected Karma's expression to mirror his, but the Vampires face was set in that unhappy look. "What's wrong, Karma?"

"If the others hadn't come to rescue us, you would of forced me to kill you." Karma said solemnly. At his words, Nagisa's mood dropped like a lead balloon.

"Karma- I'm sorry.. I didn't mean to-" Nagisa started to say, at loss for words.

"You're right. It isn't fair to blame you for what happened." Karma said, glaring down at the floor, his Amber eyes full of self loathing. "I should be able to control myself. I should be able to stop myself from killing the person I care about. I really am just as much of a monster as they say."

"That isn't true!" Nagisa shouted, sitting up quickly and forcing Karma to meet his eyes. "I put myself in that position knowing what would happen. I just wanted to save you.."

"What would you do if that was the other way around? If I'd put you in a position were you were forced to kill me- how would that make you feel." Karma said, his voice quiet and hurt. Nagisa bit his lip; Just the thought of hurting Karma was unthinkable to him. But it seemed like he already had hurt him.

"I- " he started to say.

"Except that would never happen, would it? Because unlike me, you aren't a beast. You could never be driven to the point of killing me no matter what happened." Karma said getting increasingly before adding. "I used to think the difference between Humans and natural vampires were purely in our abilities. But now I realise that isn't the case."

Nagisa couldn't think of the right words to attempt to comfort him, so instead he just wordlessly leaned forward and hugged Karma, pulling himself close to him. He felt Karma tense at his hold, then gradually relax into it.

"I'm sorry. I thought I was doing the right thing." Nagisa said quietly after a moment of silence. "I thought I was saving you, but maybe what I did just ended up hurting you more. But the reason I did it was because I care about you and because I think you're worth protecting. You aren't a beast, Karma."

"Promise me you'll never do that again. Never." Karma said squeezing Nagisa tightly as he spoke. Nagisa nodded.

"I won't." He said, leaning back. Nagisa was sure Karma's Amber eyes looked a little less forlorn. His melancholy had abated for now, but Nagisa was sure that deep down Karma would still be worrying that he was a beast.

"Nagisa.. I've been thinking a lot while you were out and I've been wondering; what exactly are we? As in what is our relationship?" Karma asked, genuine curiosity in his voice. Nagisa remembered just how isolated Karma has been all his life- It was no wonder relationships were confusing to him.

"We're friends." Nagisa said, feeling himself blush slightly, although he wasn't sure why. Karma smirked.

"Do you normally kiss your friends like you kiss me?" Karma asked. Nagisa felt the heat rise to his cheeks, his face suddenly bright red.

"N- No. I don't normally kiss them. Or EVER kiss them. You're the only one I've kissed actually." Nagisa spluttered, feeling suddenly bashful as he remembered the kisses.

"Right, so does that make us something more than friends?" Karma asked, a devious sparkle in his eyes. Nagisa's face somehow got even redder, his cheeks almost luminous at this point.  _Something more than friends?_

"W- well I suppose we sort of are." Nagisa said, putting his hands to his face. "I mean- I'm not sure! I've never done this before.. It's moving very quickly, I've just woke up and- "

Karma silenced Nagisa by placing a chaste kiss on his lips, that quickly developed into something more passionate. Nagisa squeezed his eyes shut feeling a mixture of shock and pleasure. He gripped Karma's shirt as he felt the other run his hands through his hair. But no sooner had he got used to the strange feeling Karma pulled away.

"I want to be in a relationship with you. A more than friends relationship. Were we kiss each other." Karma said. Nagisa had no idea how he could be so calm and confident; Nagisa's head was reeling and his heart was beating out of his chest. "So far we've come together because we've been fighting the academy as a team. That's what our relationship has been based around, but even when all this is over and we have nothing to fight, I will still you and I still want to be with you. Do you want the same?"

Nagisa blinked, clearing his head and properly analysing Karma's words. He was right, their entire relationship had been based around resisting evil so far; Planning together, fighting, protecting each other- that was how they had grown close. But Karma wanted a relationship even when there wasn't any evil to fight. Nagisa imagined it; The two of them together, no evil academy to worry about, just enjoying each others company.

"I think I'd like that." Nagisa admitted, a smile on his face. Karma smiled and leaned in to kiss Nagisa again. This time, Nagisa was less taken by surprise. He reached his arms up around Karma's shoulders.

He still felt self-conscious around kissing.. he felt as if he wasn't sure what to do so he just focused on enjoying the sensation. Suddenly, Karma pulled away very quickly, and the next thing Nagisa knew, the door burst open and a handful of their classmates piled in.

"Nagisa! You're awake again- how do you feel?" Kayano asked at the very forefront.

"- We've been preparing for the upcoming battle with the Chairman while you were out- we have all sorts of strategies to update you on-" Maehara said.

Nagisa was still flustered from kissing Karma, he just nodded along with a slightly dazed expression.

"Yeah- we've all been at the mountain hut all night making strategies with Korosensei." Terasaka added, walking in behind them.

"Guys, give Nagisa some space- he's probably still not himself." Isogai said, raising his hands. Nagisa was eternally grateful. He glanced over at Karma; he looked cool as a cucumber.. with his stupid Vampire hearing he probably knew they were going to burst in anyway.

"I'm fine." Nagisa assured them. Smiling as his heart rate returned to normal. "Just still a little tired."

Seeing his classmates made him happy though; Other than Kayano, he'd known all of them since childhood, but after being in this class, he realised their relationship was deeper than just average friendship; these were the kids who'd risked their own lives to save his and Karma's.

"I'm glad." Isogai said, walking further into the room towards Nagisa. "We really thought you had died for a moment. When we saw you were alive we were so relieved."

"Thank you." Nagisa said, sincerely. "From the bottom of my heart, I mean it- you didn't have to save me but you risked all your lives to do it, I can never thank you enough, I owe you all a life debt I- "

Nagisa was cut off when Nakamura pulled him into a one-armed hug.

"Hey, we're friends aren't we? Of course weren't going to let you be killed off that easily." She said with a casual laugh. "But if you're that worried about it, you can buy us all dinner some time and we'll call it even."

Nagisa smiled into the hug, his blue eyes darting around at the people in the room. He suddenly felt so much love.

Things weren't great right now; His mother was likely distraught still thinking he was dead, their headmaster was a powerful vampire who experimented on kids and the whole of E class would inevitably have to fight him since they all now know his secret, Karma could be tracked by said headmaster- but despite all the danger he and his friends were in, in that moment, Nagisa felt happiness. He hadn't expected to live through being captured; he thought he'd die in that cold dungeon below the school.. if his friends could free in from there, he felt that together they could do anything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hadn't recently read the last chapter when I was writing this chapter, so sorry it is a little repetitive and similar to the end of last chapter (hey, at least I know I'm consistent in my writing style). This chapter somehow ended up being about the power of love and friendship. Lol. I It's sort of a lighter transitional chapter before the inevitable drama that's about the happen. I also wanted to explore Nagisa and Karma's relationship a little, they've has so much intense things to deal so I wanted to give them a chance to reflect on what they mean to each other.
> 
> Gakushuu is not as good at lying as he thinks he is. He's finally going to tell his comrades the truth about himself.. That was a pretty big moment for him after spending a lifetime hiding the truth.
> 
> Sorry this chapter took so long for me to publish!
> 
> Thank you for all the reviews, they literally motivate me to keep going with this story..! Please review to let me know your thoughts and if I should write more!


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